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Use of a nanoplastic carrier for assessing the aquatic toxicity of an organo-phosphite polymer additive
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Researchers produced polypropylene nanoplastics free of additives and oligomers, then reloaded them with specific chemicals to test the aquatic toxicity of the polymer additive Irgafos 168. This controlled approach allowed them to distinguish the toxicity of the additive from that of the plastic particle itself. The study demonstrates that chemical additives leaching from nanoplastics can pose distinct environmental risks beyond those caused by the plastic particles alone.
This work reports the production of nanoplastics (NPs) from polypropylene (PP) free of the antioxidant Irgafos® 168 (IRG) and alkane oligomers (ALK). PP pellets were milled into a powder with particle sizes in the 100-500 μm range. Additives and oligomers were removed using dichloromethane, and the powder exposed to UV irradiation, followed by filtration through 1 μm filters. PP suspensions, free of antioxidant and oligomers, were reloaded with IRG and ALK to their original commercial concentrations. This approach allowed testing the aquatic toxicity of IRG at concentrations compromised by water solubility limits. Toxicity assays using the cladoceran Daphnia magna with 24-48 h immobilization of neonates as endpoint showed toxicity for NPs containing IRG, with EC (48 h) in the 1.8-3.5 mg/L range, that corresponded to IRG exposure <1.2 μg/L. Suspensions of PP containing ALK, but not IRG, exhibited low toxicity (EC > 20 mg/L). The results allowed estimating the toxicity of IRG with a EC value of 3.3 ± 1.1 μg/L. Assays with different proportions of IRG and its oxidized form showed no differences. This work demonstrated the aquatic toxicity of IRG, for which there were no previous data, and developed a method for testing the toxicity of non-polar additives without being limited by their solubility.
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Researchers tested the aquatic toxicity of UV-degraded polypropylene plastic particles on water fleas and algae. They found that smaller nanoplastic particles were significantly more toxic than larger microplastics, and the presence of a common plastic additive (the antioxidant Irgafos 168) made the particles even more harmful. The study suggests that as plastics break down in the environment and release their chemical additives, they may become increasingly dangerous to aquatic life.
Aquatic toxicity of chemically defined microplastics can be explained by functional additives
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Researchers manufactured microplastics from four polymer types with precisely defined chemical compositions, including different additive formulations, and tested their toxicity to aquatic organisms. They found that the toxic effects of microplastics could largely be explained by the functional additives they contained rather than the base polymer itself. The study suggests that the chemical additives in plastics, not just the plastic material, are a primary driver of microplastic toxicity in aquatic environments.
The contribution of additives to microplastic aquatic toxicity - A testing approach with model additives on selected aquatic organisms
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Researchers developed a systematic methodology to separate the physical effects of microplastic particles from the chemical effects of their embedded additives on aquatic organisms. The study found that polyethylene microplastics alone showed no significant toxicity to water fleas or protozoa, while the additive zinc oxide was toxic independently. Artificial aging changed how much additive was released from the plastics but did not change the overall toxicity to the tested organisms.
The contribution of additives to microplastic aquatic toxicity – A testing approach with model additives on selected aquatic organisms
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Researchers developed a systematic testing approach to distinguish between the physical effects of microplastic particles and the chemical effects of their additives on aquatic organisms. The study found that polyethylene microplastics alone showed no significant toxicity to water fleas or protozoa, but the inorganic additive zinc oxide was toxic on its own. The findings suggest that the additives embedded in plastics, rather than the plastic particles themselves, may be the primary drivers of toxicity in some cases.
Contribution of additive-related effects to microplastics toxicity for aquatic organisms: a case study with model metal (ZnO) and organic additives (Lubio) and LDPE
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Researchers produced well-defined LDPE microplastic particles loaded with model additives (ZnO nanoparticles and a commercial Lubio antiaging system) to isolate and quantify additive-related contributions to microplastic toxicity in Daphnia magna and Tetrahymena thermophila. Results showed ZnO nanoparticles were acutely toxic while additive-free and Lubio-loaded particles demonstrated differing toxicity profiles, providing a framework for disentangling polymer versus additive effects in ecotoxicity studies.
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