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Uptake of Potentially Toxic Elements in Microplastic-Contaminated Soils: A Controlled Laboratory Study Using Eisenia Fetida
Summary
Researchers exposed earthworms to tire-derived microplastics in soil and found that levels above 100 mg/g caused significant buildup of toxic heavy metals — including chromium, lead, tin, and zinc — inside the worms' bodies. This shows microplastics act as carriers that help move harmful metals from soil into living organisms.
Background: Earthworms are known to respond quickly to various environmental stressors.The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between varying levels of tire-derived microplastic (TMP) exposure and the accumulation of specific heavy metals in the earthworm Eisenia fetida.Methods: We assessed the accumulation of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), tin (Sn), aluminum (Al), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and molybdenum (Mo) in Eisenia fetida through a 14-day controlled exposure to TMP concentrations of 0, 10, 50, 100, and 200 mg/g dry artificial soil, with three replications.Results: The accumulation of Cr, Sn, Al, Pb, Zn, and Mo increased significantly with TMP concentrations exceeding 100 mg/g.The concentration of Cd remained statistically similar in TMP concentrations above 50 mg/g, while a significant increase in Zn concentration was observed at TMP levels higher than 100 mg/g.The correlation coefficients between Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) concentration in the species and inhabited soil were negative and statistically significant for Cd (p-value < 0.05), Al (pvalue < 0.01), and Mo (p-value < 0.05), suggesting a depletion of PTEs from the soil as the earthworms accumulated higher concentrations.Maximum levels reached 130.44 4.43 g/L for Sn, 2.46 1.74 mg/L for Zn, and 0.057 0.006 mg/L for Cr in the 200 mg TMP exposures. Conclusion:This study used artificial soil samples, and the impact of soil physicochemical characteristics on the mobility and bioavailability of MP-associated PTEs remains an area open for future investigation.