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A critical review on synergistic toxicity: Plastics as “Trojan-Horses” for mercury biomagnification in polar avian predators
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This review paper summarizes existing research on whether microplastics act as "carriers" that increase mercury's harmful effects in polar seabirds like penguins, albatrosses, and petrels. Lab studies found aged microplastics increased mercury buildup and toxicity in animals, while field studies in wild birds also linked plastic ingestion to higher mercury levels, though results across studies were not always consistent.
Long-range transport of mercury (Hg) pollution and bioaccumulating microplastics (MPs) is a severe issue, and polar environments are continuously changing. To critically discuss the hypothesis of the "Trojan-Horse," in which MPs might be carriers of increased Hg bioavailability and/or biomagnification in the polar bird food web. It integrates information on MP contamination in Arctic and Antarctic environments, the transport of Hg via Arctic and Antarctic food chains, and the interactions between MP and Hg toxicity. Laboratory studies have shown that UV-aged MPs can significantly increase Hg bioaccumulation (up to 1.61-fold), oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, and multigenerational reproductive toxicity. Polar seabirds have also been reported to have a high MPs ingestion frequency (FO: 15-93%) and biomagnification of Hg (2.3-8.6). Field studies have provided evidence of a link between MP ingestion and an increase in the Hg burden, which is somewhat contradictory to laboratory studies. Nanoplastics (NPs) may be an underestimated vector because of their high surface area-to-volume ratio and membrane-penetrating ability. Foraging/hunting ecology, foraging level, and migration result in varying vulnerabilities among albatrosses, petrels, fulmars, skua, and penguins. Some of the key gaps are limited in-field validation, seasonal plastic and Hg transfer processes, variable co-contaminant monitoring, and a lack of predictive models of plastic-Hg trophic interactions.
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Scientists studying seabird chicks in Antarctica found that the more plastic bits in their stomachs, the higher the mercury levels in their blood — suggesting plastic waste may be a hidden pathway for toxic metals to enter animals' bodies, not just a physical hazard. This matters because it hints that plastic pollution and heavy metal contamination may be more connected than we realized, a concern that could extend to the seafood humans eat too, since mercury and microplastics both travel up the food chain.
Co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic
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Researchers analyzed the co-contaminants of microplastics ingested by northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes from the Canadian Arctic, finding that fulmars had higher plastic loads and greater concentrations of plastic additive compounds, while kittiwakes had higher legacy persistent organic pollutants. Fulmars with larger foraging ranges carried the highest overall contaminant burdens, suggesting they act as long-range transport vectors for plastic-associated pollution.
Co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic
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Researchers investigated organic and inorganic co-contaminants associated with ingested microplastics in northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes from the Canadian Arctic, finding that fulmars had higher levels of microplastic contamination and plastic-additive organic compounds than kittiwakes, and examining the extent to which ingested microplastics act as transport vectors for persistent organic pollutants and trace metals.
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