Plastic resin pellets were collected from coastal areas (n = 7) of central Chile. Pellets were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for polymer identification and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) determination. Screened compounds were PBDEs (n = 10), PCBs (n = 7), and OCPs (n = 13). Pellets were only found at Lenga Beach (San Vicente Bay), which is likely influenced by the presence of industrial activities in the surrounding coastal area. The diameter of the pellets was 4.0 ± 0.6 cm (n = 370), the color varied from white (32%) to yellowing (68%), and the most prevalent polymer identified was high-density polyethylene (99%). POPs concentrations (ng/g-pellet) ranged from 10 to 133 for Ʃ10PBDEs, from 3 to 60 for Ʃ7PCBs and between 0.1 and 7 for DDTs. Levels of POPs are consistent with other investigations around the world and highlight the sorbtion capacity of plastics resin pellets, and consequently transport of POPs into coastal environments.
- MeSH
- Water Pollutants, Chemical * MeSH
- Environmental Pollutants * MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring MeSH
- Plastics analysis MeSH
- Polychlorinated Biphenyls MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Chile MeSH
An automatic flow-based system as a front end to liquid chromatography (LC) for on-line dynamic leaching of microplastic materials (polyethylene of medium density and poly(vinyl chloride)) with incurred phthalates and bisphenol A is herein presented. The microplastic particles were packed in a metal column holder, through which seawater was pumped continuously by resorting to advanced flow methodology. Each milliliter of the leachable (bioaccessible) fraction of chemical additives was preconcentrated on-line using a 10 mm-long octadecyl monolithic silica column placed in the sampling loop of the injection valve of a HPLC system that served concomitantly for analyte uptake and removal of the seawater matrix. After loading of the leachate fraction, the LC valve was switched to the inject position and the analytes were eluted and separated by a monolithic column (Onyx C18HD 100 × 4.6 mm) using an optimized acetonitrile/water gradient with UV detection at 240 nm. The automatic flow method including dynamic flow-through extraction, on-line sorptive preconcentration, and matrix clean-up was synchronized with the HPLC separation, which lasted ca. 9 min. The only two currently available multi-component certified reference materials (CRM) of microplastics (CRM-PE002 and CRM-PVC001) were used for method development and validation. Out of the eight regulated phthalates contained in the two CRMs, only the 2 most polar species, namely, dimethyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate as well as bisphenol A, were leached significantly by the seawater in less than 2 h, with bioaccessibility percentages of 51-100%. The leaching profiles were monitored and modeled with a first-order kinetic equation so as to determine the rate constants for desorption in a risk assessment scenario. Intermediate precision values of bioaccessibility data for three batches of CRMs were for the suite of targeted compounds ≤22%. This work for the first time reports a fully automatic flow method with infinite sink capacity (i.e., using a surplus of extracting solution) for the target species able to mimic the leaching of additives from plastic debris across the water body in marine settings under worst-case extraction conditions.
There is an increasing awareness of the threats posed by the worldwide presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment. Due to their high persistence, MPs will accumulate in the environment and their quantities tend to increase with time. MPs end up in environments where often also chemical contaminants are present. Since the early 2000s, the number of studies on the sorption of chemicals to plastic particles has exponentially increased. The objective of this study was to critically review the literature to identify the most important factors affecting the sorption of chemical contaminants to MPs. These factors include the physicochemical properties of both the MPs and the chemical contaminants as well as environmental characteristics. A limited number of studies on soil together with an increased notion of the importance of this compartment as a final sink for MPs was observed. Therefore, we assessed the distribution of model chemicals (two PCBs and phenanthrene) in the soil compartment in the presence of MPs using a mass balance model. The results showed a high variation among chemicals and microplastic types. Overall, a higher partitioning to MPs of chemical contaminants in soil is expected in comparison to aquatic environments. As sorption to a large extent determines bioavailability, the effects of combined exposure to chemicals and MPs on the toxicity and bioaccumulation in biota are discussed. Finally, some considerations regarding sorption and toxicity studies using MPs are given.
- MeSH
- Biological Availability MeSH
- Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis MeSH
- Models, Chemical MeSH
- Phenanthrenes analysis MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring MeSH
- Plastics analysis MeSH
- Polychlorinated Biphenyls analysis MeSH
- Soil chemistry MeSH
- Biota MeSH
- Environmental Exposure adverse effects MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Methods for analysis of microplastic in soils are still being developed. In this study, we evaluated the potential of a soil universal model method (SUMM) based on thermogravimetry (TGA) for the identification and quantification of microplastics in standard loamy sand. Blank and spiked soils (with amounts of one of four microplastic types) were analyzed by TGA. For each sample, thermal mass losses (TML) in 10 °C intervals were extracted and used for further analysis. To explain and demonstrate the principles of SUMM, two scenarios were discussed. The first refers to a rare situation in which an uncontaminated blank of investigated soil is available and TML of spiked and blank soils are subtracted. The results showed that the investigated microplastics degraded in characteristic temperature areas and differences between spiked and blank soils were proportional to the microplastics concentrations. The second scenario reflects the more common situation where the blank is not available and needs to be replaced by the previously developed interrelationships representing soil universal models. The models were consequently subtracted from measured TML. Sparse principal component analysis (sPCA) identified 8 of 14 modeled differences between measured TMLs and the universal model as meaningful for microplastics discrimination. Calibrating various microplastics concentrations with the first principal component extracted from sPCA resulted in linear fits and limits of detection in between environmentally relevant microplastics concentrations. Even if such an approach using calculated standards still has limitations, the SUMM shows a certain potential for a fast pre-screening method for analysis of microplastics in soils.
- MeSH
- Principal Component Analysis MeSH
- Models, Chemical * MeSH
- Soil Pollutants analysis MeSH
- Plastics analysis chemistry MeSH
- Polyethylene analysis MeSH
- Polyethylene Terephthalates analysis MeSH
- Polystyrenes analysis MeSH
- Polyvinyl Chloride analysis MeSH
- Soil chemistry MeSH
- Temperature MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
In this study we have identified and characterized microplastic particles (MPs) found in six fish species of commercial importance in central Chile. The fish species belong to different trophic levels and were obtained from the oceanic and coastal habitats. To analyze MPs, the fish gastrointestinal content was extracted, analyzed and characterized using a microscopy equipped with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The MPs found in fish samples were mainly constituted by red microfibers (70-100%) with sizes ranging between 176 and 2842 μm. Polyester, polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were identified as the prevalent polymers detected. The coastal species showed the presence of microfibers with a higher size and abundance (71%) compared to oceanic species (29%), suggesting there is a greater exposure risk. These findings are consistent with results found in other investigations worldwide. However, further research is still needed to accurately establish the potential exposure risk for the public consuming these fish and the impact of MPs in the Chilean fishery activities.
- MeSH
- Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis metabolism MeSH
- Ecosystem MeSH
- Gastrointestinal Contents chemistry MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring methods MeSH
- Oceans and Seas MeSH
- Plastics analysis metabolism MeSH
- Seafood analysis MeSH
- Fishes metabolism MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Chile MeSH
- Oceans and Seas MeSH
The aim of this study was to simulate a banned but widely spread practice of co-combustion of plastic with wood in a small residential boiler and to quantify its impact on emissions of gaseous pollutants, particulate matter (PM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene (135TPB), a new tracer of polyethylene plastic combustion. Supermarket polyethylene shopping bags (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PET) were burnt as supplementary fuels with beech logs (BL) in an old-type 20 kW over-fire boiler both at a nominal and reduced heat output. An impact of co-combustion was more pronounced at the nominal heat output: an increase in emissions of PM, total organic carbon (TOC), toxic equivalent (TEQ) of 7 carcinogenic PAHs (c-PAHs) and a higher ratio of c-PAHs TEQ in particulate phase was observed during co-combustion of both plastics. 135TPB was found in emissions from both plastics both at a nominal and reduced output. In contrast to findings reported in the literature, 135TPB was a dominant compound detected by mass spectrometry on m/z 306 exclusively in emissions from co-combustion of PE. Surprisingly, six other even more abundant compounds of unknown identity were found on this m/z in emissions from co-combustion of PET. One of these unknown compounds was identified as p-quaterphenyl (pQ). Principal component analysis revealed strong correlation among 135TPB, pQ and five unknown compounds. pQ seems to be suitable tracers of polyethylene terephthalate plastic co-combustion, while 135TPB proved its suitability to be an all-purpose tracer of polyethylene plastics combustion.
To fulfill national and international fire safety standards, flame retardants (FRs) are being added to a wide range of consumer products and building materials consisting of flammable materials like plastic, wood and textiles. While the FR composition of some products and materials has been identified in recent years, the limited global coverage of the data and the large diversity in consumer products necessitates more information for an overall picture of the FR composition in common products/materials. To address this issue, 137 individual samples of various consumer products, building materials and wastes were collected. To identify and characterize potential sources of FRs in indoor environment, all samples were analyzed for content of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs) and novel flame retardants (NFRs). The most frequently detected were HBCDDs (85%), with the highest median concentration of Σ4HBCDDs of 300 mg kg(-1) in polystyrenes. The highest median concentration of Σ10PBDEs was found in recycled plastic materials, reaching 4 mg kg(-1). The lowest concentrations were observed for NFRs, where the median of Σ12NFRs reached 0.4 mg kg(-1) in the group of electrical & electronic equipment wastes. This suggests that for consumer products and building materials that are currently in-use, legacy compounds still contribute to the overall burden of FRs. Additionally, contrasting patterns of FR composition in recycled and virgin plastics, revealed using principle component analysis (PCA), suggest that legacy flame retardants are reentering the market through recycled products, perpetuating the potential for emissions to indoor environments and thus for human exposure.
- MeSH
- Hydrocarbons, Brominated analysis MeSH
- Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers analysis MeSH
- Construction Materials analysis MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring MeSH
- Plastics analysis MeSH
- Household Articles * MeSH
- Flame Retardants analysis MeSH
- Solid Waste analysis MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
Recently, traces of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been detected in black plastic food-contact materials (FCMs), indicating the presence of recycled plastics, mainly coming from waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) as BFRs are one of the main additives in electric applications. In order to evaluate efficiently and preliminary in situ the presence of WEEE in plastic FCMs, a generic procedure for the evaluation of WEEE presence in plastic FCMs by using defined parameters having each an associated importance level has been proposed. This can be achieved by combining parameters like overall bromine (Br) and antimony (Sb) content; additive and reactive BFR, rare earth element (REE) and WEEE-relevant elemental content and additionally polymer purity. In most of the cases, the WEEE contamination could be confirmed by combining X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry and thermal desorption/pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at first. The Sb and REE content did not give a full confirmation as to the source of contamination, however for Sb the opposite counts: Sb was joined with elevated Br signals. Therefore, Br at first followed by Sb were used as WEEE precursors as both elements are used as synergetic flame-retardant systems. WEEE-specific REEs could be used for small WEEE (sWEEE) confirmation; however, this parameter should be interpreted with care. The polymer purity by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and pyrolysis GC-MS in many cases could not confirm WEEE-specific contamination; however, it can be used for purity measurements and for the suspicion of the usage of recycled fractions (WEEE and non-WEEE) as a third-line confirmation. To the best of our knowledge, the addition of WEEE waste to plastic FCMs is illegal; however, due to lack on screening mechanisms, there is still the breakthrough of such articles onto the market, and, therefore, our generic procedure enables the quick and effective screening of suspicious samples.
BACKGROUND: In working environment of waste treatment facilities, employees are exposed to high concentrations of airborne microorganisms. Fungi constitute an essential part of them. This study aims at evaluating the diurnal variation in concentrations and species composition of the fungal contamination in 2 plastic waste sorting facilities in different seasons. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Air samples from the 2 sorting facilities were collected through the membrane filters method on 4 different types of cultivation media. Isolated fungi were classified to genera or species by using a light microscopy. RESULTS: Overall, the highest concentrations of airborne fungi were recorded in summer (9.1×103-9.0×105 colony-forming units (CFU)/m3), while the lowest ones in winter (2.7×103-2.9×105 CFU/m3). The concentration increased from the beginning of the work shift and reached a plateau after 6-7 h of the sorting. The most frequently isolated airborne fungi were those of the genera Penicillium and Aspergillus. The turnover of fungal species between seasons was relatively high as well as changes in the number of detected species, but potentially toxigenic and allergenic fungi were detected in both facilities during all seasons. CONCLUSIONS: Generally, high concentrations of airborne fungi were detected in the working environment of plastic waste sorting facilities, which raises the question of health risk taken by the employees. Based on our results, the use of protective equipment by employees is recommended and preventive measures should be introduced into the working environment of waste sorting facilities to reduce health risk for employees. Med Pr 2017;68(1):1-9.
- MeSH
- Fungi isolation & purification MeSH
- Air Pollutants, Occupational isolation & purification MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Air Microbiology * MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring methods MeSH
- Plastics analysis MeSH
- Colony Count, Microbial MeSH
- Occupational Exposure statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Waste Disposal Facilities * MeSH
- Solid Waste analysis MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Poland MeSH
Rivers and effluents have been identified as major pathways for microplastics of terrestrial sources. Moreover, lakes of different dimensions and even in remote locations contain microplastics in striking abundances. This study investigates concentrations of microplastic particles at two lakes in central Italy (Lake Bolsena, Lake Chiusi). A total number of six Manta Trawls have been carried out, two of them one day after heavy winds occurred on Lake Bolsena showing effects on particle distribution of fragments and fibers of varying size categories. Additionally, 36 sediment samples from lakeshores were analyzed for microplastic content. In the surface waters 2.68 to 3.36 particles/m(3) (Lake Chiusi) and 0.82 to 4.42 particles/m(3) (Lake Bolsena) were detected, respectively. Main differences between the lakes are attributed to lake characteristics such as surface and catchment area, depth and the presence of local wind patterns and tide range at Lake Bolsena. An event of heavy winds and moderate rainfall prior to one sampling led to an increase of concentrations at Lake Bolsena which is most probable related to lateral land-based and sewage effluent inputs. The abundances of microplastic particles in sediments vary from mean values of 112 (Lake Bolsena) to 234 particles/kg dry weight (Lake Chiusi). Lake Chiusi results reveal elevated fiber concentrations compared to those of Lake Bolsena what might be a result of higher organic content and a shift in grain size distribution towards the silt and clay fraction at the shallow and highly eutrophic Lake Chiusi. The distribution of particles along different beach levels revealed no significant differences.
- MeSH
- Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis MeSH
- Geologic Sediments analysis MeSH
- Lakes analysis MeSH
- Environmental Monitoring MeSH
- Particulate Matter analysis MeSH
- Plastics analysis MeSH
- Particle Size MeSH
- Wind * MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Italy MeSH
