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Effects of naturally aged microplastics on the distribution and bioavailability of arsenic in soil aggregates and its accumulation in lettuce
Summary
Scientists studied how weathered microplastics interact with arsenic, a toxic element, in soil where lettuce is grown. At low to moderate arsenic levels, the microplastics actually helped the lettuce grow better and reduced arsenic uptake. However, at high arsenic concentrations, microplastics made the toxicity worse, reducing leaf quality and nutrition. This shows that the health impact of microplastics in farming depends heavily on what other contaminants are present in the soil.
Naturally aged microplastics (NAMPs) and arsenic (As) have been reported to coexist in and threaten potentially to soil-plant ecosystem. The research explored the combined toxic effects of NAMPs and As to lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, and the distribution, accumulation and bioavailability of As in soil aggregates. The As contaminated soil with low, medium and high concentrations (L-As, M-As, H-As) were treated with or without NAMPs, and a total of six treatments. The results displayed that, in comparison to separate treatments of L-As and M-As, the presence of NAMPs increased the total biomass of lettuce grown at these two As concentrations by 68.9 % and 55.4 %, respectively. Simultaneous exposure of NAMPs and L-As or M-As led to a decrease in As content in shoot (0.45-2.17 mg kg) and root (5.68-14.66 mg kg) of lettuce, indicating an antagonistic effect between them. In contrast, co-exposure to H-As and NAMPs showed synergistic toxicity, and the leaf chlorophyll and nutritional quality of lettuce were also reduced. NAMPs altered the ratio of different soil aggregate fractions and the distribution of bioavailable As within them, which influenced the absorption of As by lettuce. In conclusion, these direct observations assist us in enhancing the comprehend of the As migration and enrichment characteristics in soil-plant system under the influence of NAMPs.