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Distribution, interactions with pollutants and ecotoxicological effect of microplastics in the Gulf of Trieste
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Researchers studied microplastics in sediment and mussels from the Gulf of Trieste, finding higher levels near harbors and marinas, mostly tiny fibers and fragments from common plastics like polyethylene. Lab tests showed aged microplastics absorbed pollutants more readily, and mussels exposed to plastic fibers with attached chemicals showed reduced enzyme activity linked to nerve function and a moderate rise in genetic damage markers.
Tržaški zaliv kot najbolj severni in polzaprti del Jadranskega morja zaradi svoje plitvosti, omejene izmenjave vodnih mas in intenzivnih antropogenih pritiskov predstavlja okolje z izrazitim potencialom za kopičenje mikroplastike. V prvem delu raziskave smo preučili prostorsko razporeditev in lastnosti mikroplastike v sedimentih ter izbranih morskih organizmih. Mikroplastika je bila potrjena na vseh vzorčevalnih mestih, pri čemer so bile koncentracije v slovenskih sedimentih izrazito višje in bolj heterogene kot v italijanskem delu, zlasti na območjih pristanišč in marin. Prevladovali so sekundarni delci, predvsem vlakna in fragmenti, manjši od 700 µm, sestavljeni iz polietilena, polipropilena in polietilen tereftalata. Vsi analizirani organizmi so vsebovali mikroplastiko, pri čemer so bile najvišje vrednosti ugotovljene pri filtratorjih, kot je sredozemska klapavica, kar potrjuje dostopnost onesnaževala v prehranski verigi. Ugotovitve o prevladi polietilena in polipropilena so služile kot podlaga za drugi del, v katerem smo preučili interakcije med omenjenima polimeroma in izbranimi organskimi onesnaževali. Okoljsko starana mikroplastika je zaradi povečane hrapavosti, poroznosti in prisotnosti polarnih skupin izkazovala večjo adsorpcijsko kapaciteto, ki je odvisna od hidrofobnosti onesnaževala in vrste polimera. Hkrati mikroplastika pomembno spreminja potek fotolize in fotokatalize onesnaževal bodisi z zaviranjem razgradnje bodisi s pospeševanjem nastanka reaktivnih kisikovih zvrsti. V tretjem delu smo preučili toksikološki vpliv na sredozemske klapavice z uporabo poliamidnih vlaken iz ribiških mrež ter nanje adsorbiranega dibutil ftalata in fenantrena. Izpostavljenost tema spojinama je povzročila izrazito inhibicijo aktivnosti acetilholinesteraze, kar potrjuje nevrotoksični potencial, medtem ko je bila pri spojinah, vezanih na mikroplastiko, zaznana zmanjšana akutna toksičnost zaradi manjše biološke dostopnosti. Mikronukleusni test je pokazal zmeren porast genotoksičnih poškodb brez dokazov za trajne okvare. Raziskava tako celovito osvetljuje vlogo mikroplastike pri usodi organskih onesnaževal in njenih vplivih na morske organizme v Tržaškem zalivu.
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Researchers examined mussels and three fish species from the Gulf of Trieste, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea, for microplastics. Plastic particles, mostly tiny black and blue fibers, were found in up to 43% of the samples. The study rated the overall risk to human health from these microplastics as medium.
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