Journal
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Volume 883, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163447
Keywords
Plastic degradation; Nanoplastics; Toxicity; Bioplastics; Freshwater organisms
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This study investigated the toxicity of environmentally realistic nanoplastics (NPLs) derived from mechanically broken down polymers on two freshwater secondary consumers. The results showed harmful effects of NPLs on the tested organisms, especially polypropylene, low-density polyethylene, and polylactic acid.
Mismanaged plastic litter submitted to environmental conditions may breakdown into smaller fragments, eventually reaching nano-scale particles (nanoplastics, NPLs). In this study, pristine beads of four different types of polymers, three oil-based (polypropylene, PP; polystyrene, PS; and low-density polyethylene, LDPE) and one bio-based (polylactic acid, PLA) were mechanically broken down to obtain more environmentally realistic NPLs and its toxicity to two freshwater secondary consumers was assessed. Thus, effects on the cnidarian Hydra viridissima (mortality, mor-phology, regeneration ability, and feeding behavior) and the fish Danio rerio (mortality, morphological alterations, and swimming behavior) were tested at NPLs concentrations in the 0.001 to 100 mg/L range. Mortality and several mor-phological alterations were observed on hydras exposed to 10 and 100 mg/L PP and 100 mg/L LDPE, whilst regener-ation capacity was overall accelerated. The locomotory activity of D. rerio larvae was affected by NPLs (decreased swimming time, distance or turning frequency) at environmentally realistic concentrations (as low as 0.001 mg/L). Overall, petroleum-and bio-based NPLs elicited pernicious effects on tested model organisms, especially PP, LDPE and PLA. Data allowed the estimation of NPLs effective concentrations and showed that biopolymers may also induce relevant toxic effects.
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