Co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic

Through ingestion and subsequent egestion, Arctic seabirds can bioaccumulate microplastics at and around their colony breeding sites. While microplastics in Arctic seabirds have been well documented, it is not yet understood to what extent these particles can act as transport vehicles for plastic-associated contaminants, including legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), trace metals, and organic additives. We investigated the occurrence and pattern of organic and inorganic co-contaminants of micro plastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic d northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). We found that fulmars had higher levels of plastic contamination and emerging organic compounds (known to be plastic additives) than kittiwakes, whereas higher concentrations of legacy POPs were found in kittiwakes than the fulmars. Furthermore, fulmars, the species with the much larger foraging range (~200 km), had higher plastic pollution and overall contaminant burdens, indicating that birds may be acting as long-range transport vectors for plastic associated pollution. Our results suggest a potential connection between plastic additive contamination and plastic pollution burdens in the bird stomachs, highlighting the importance of treating plastic particles and plastic-associated organic additives as co-contaminants rather than separate pollution issues.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Arctic seabirds can accumulate microplastics through ingestion and egestion, which may act as transport vehicles for plastic-associated contaminants. We found that one species of seabird had higher plastic contamination and emerging organic compounds, while the other species had higher concentrations of legacy pollutants. Additionally, the species with a larger foraging range had higher plastic pollution and overall contaminant burdens, suggesting their role as long-range transport vectors for plastic pollution. These results highlight the importance of considering plastic particles and plastic-associated organic additives as co-contaminants.