Elemental concentrations and bioaccessibilities in beached plastic foam litter, with particular reference to lead in polyurethane

Seventy samples of foamed plastic collected from a high-energy, sandy beach in SW England have been characterised by FTIR and XRF. Most samples were polyurethane (PU; n = 39) or polystyrene (PS; n = 27) that were associated with variable concentrations of Br-Cl, Fe and Zn, indicative of the presence of halogenated flame retardants, iron oxides and Zn-based additives, respectively. Many samples of rigid PU contained Pb, historically used as a catalyst, at concentrations of up to 16,000 mu g g(-1). A physiological extraction test that simulates the conditions in the gizzard of plastic-ingesting seabirds was applied to selected samples and results revealed that while Br and Zn were not measurably bioaccessible, Pb mobilisation progressed logarithmically over a period of time with maximum accessibilities after 220 h of similar to 10% of total metal. Foamed PU is a source of bioaccessible Pb in the marine environment that has not previously been documented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.