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Evaluating Toxic Interactions of Polystyrene Microplastics with Hazardous and Noxious Substances Using the Early Life Stages of the Marine Bivalve Crassostrea gigas
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Researchers examined how polystyrene microplastics interact with cadmium and phenanthrene, two common coastal pollutants, using Pacific oyster larvae as a test species. They found that microplastics generally reduced the toxicity of these pollutants but could also act as carriers that alter how the toxins are delivered to the organisms. The study highlights the complex and sometimes unpredictable ways microplastics can change the impact of other pollutants on marine life.
Plastics pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems, owing to their slow biodegradability. Microplastics (MPs), in particular, affect marine life and maricultural organisms and can enter the food chain via ingestion by marine organisms, leading to bioaccumulation in predators, including humans. This study assessed the toxic interactions between polystyrene microplastic particles (PSMPs) and cadmium (Cd) and phenanthrene (Phe) using marine bivalves. While PSMPs were non-toxic to Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), the toxicity of Cd and Phe was concentration-dependent. In most conditions, PSMPs reduced the toxicity of Cd and Phe, but in simultaneous exposure, they acted as Cd messengers, altering the toxicity during the adult stage. This study confirms that PSMPs can interact with coastal environmental pollutants, thereby accelerating biotoxicity and posing a significant threat to marine wildlife, mariculture, and human health. It also highlights the need to assess MP toxicity in coastal environments and their interactions with pollutants.
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Exposure of marine mussels Mytilus spp. to polystyrene microplastics: Toxicity and influence on fluoranthene bioaccumulation
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Researchers exposed marine mussels to polystyrene microplastics alone and in combination with the pollutant fluoranthene to study their combined effects. They found that while the microplastics themselves had limited direct toxicity, they influenced how fluoranthene accumulated in and was cleared from the mussels' tissues. The study suggests that microplastics can alter the way marine organisms interact with chemical pollutants, potentially changing the risks these contaminants pose.
Low level of polystyrene microplastics decreases early developmental toxicity of phenanthrene on marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)
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Researchers exposed marine medaka fish eggs to low levels of polystyrene microplastics combined with the pollutant phenanthrene. Surprisingly, they found that a very low concentration of microplastics actually reduced the developmental toxicity of phenanthrene, improving hatch rates and decreasing malformations. The study suggests this protective effect occurs because the microplastics reduce the bioavailability of the chemical pollutant, challenging the assumption that microplastics always worsen the toxicity of co-occurring contaminants.
Altered biotoxicity of cadmium to freshwater green algae by different concentrations of polystyrene
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Polystyrene microplastics at low concentrations partially reduced cadmium toxicity to freshwater green algae, while higher concentrations exacerbated it, demonstrating that combined pollution effects on algae are concentration-dependent.
Single and combined effects of phenanthrene and polystyrene microplastics on oxidative stress of the clam (Mactra veneriformis)
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Researchers tested the single and combined toxic effects of the pollutant phenanthrene and polystyrene microplastics on the clam Mactra veneriformis. The study found that both pollutants individually caused oxidative stress, but when combined, larger microplastics amplified the toxicity of phenanthrene, with phenanthrene remaining the dominant toxic factor in joint exposures.
Polystyrene microplastics alleviate adverse effects of benzo[a]pyrene on tissues and cells of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with the toxic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene in marine mussels. The study found that the presence of microplastics actually reduced the accumulation and toxicity of benzo[a]pyrene by approximately 6.7%, likely because the microplastics adsorbed the chemical pollutant and reduced its bioavailability in the water.
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