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Microplastics risk as a reservoir of legacy and emerging semi-volatile organic contaminants on the Cantabrian coast
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Microplastics collected from beaches on Spain's northern coast were found to soak up a cocktail of harmful chemicals — including tar-like PAHs, banned industrial PCBs, old pesticides, sunscreen chemicals, and fragrances — acting like tiny sponges for pollution from boat traffic and past industrial contamination. The concentrations of some of these chemicals were high enough to pose a serious risk to marine life, and since these same plastics can end up in seafood and eventually on our plates, this raises concerns about how much of that chemical baggage might make its way into our bodies too.
Plastic pollution is nowadays a problem of global concern due to massive production and inefficient measures to reduce their use. Microplastics (MPs) receive special attention due to their ubiquity, persistence and toxicity. Moreover, they act as vectors for the transport and release of contaminants, which enhances their toxicity. Therefore, holistic approaches are required to fully understand the risk that MPs pose to the environment and human health. This study investigates the role of MPs accumulated on three beaches of the Cantabrian coast (northern Spain) as reservoirs of (semi)volatile legacy and emerging organic contaminants, using both target and suspect screening approaches. Polyethylene was the most abundant polymer in all the beaches (77%) followed by polypropylene (21%) and polystyrene (1%). Target analysis revealed significant amounts of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Organochloride Pesticides (OCPs), UV filters, phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and fragrances associated to the MPs, with total beach concentrations up to 36 μg g. The highest concentrations of organic contaminants were found in MPs collected in spring on the beach most affected by urban activities. Maritime traffic as well as historical contamination in the area were identified as possible sources of pollution. Moreover, a proposed suspect screening workflow at low-resolution mass spectrometry allowed us to detect the presence of several alkanes, flame retardants and antioxidants. Finally, the risk assessment approach proposed in this study, based on a preliminary approach for assessing the risk posed by MPs, suggests that the concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and OCPs measured in the MPs could result in risk quotients that would exceed the high-risk threshold in invertebrates in most of the samples considered.
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