0
Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Phthalate diester occurrence in marine feed and food (Mediterranean Sea)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2023 12 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Stefania Squadrone, Giovanna Berti, Alessandra Griglione, Stefano Falsetti, Nicola Nurra, Rocco Mussat Sartor, Marco Battuello, Tabata Bezzo, Livio Favaro, Maria Cesarina Abete

Summary

Researchers detected phthalate diesters in Mediterranean Sea zooplankton, fish, and bivalves, with DEHP found in all zooplankton samples and 30% of fish, demonstrating how microplastics transport these endocrine-disrupting chemicals through marine food webs.

Organic contaminants such as diesters of phthalic acid (PAEs) can be conveyed by microplastics in aquatic environment and constitute a relevant risk to marine organisms and humans that consume them. A method was developed for the identification and quantitative detection of 6 dimethyl phthalate (DMP), di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DNBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-2-ethylesyl phthalate (DHEP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP). PAEs were then quantified in mesozooplankton, mollusk bivalves, and fish from the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Among all PAEs, DEHP was found in all zooplankton samples, in 30% of fish samples, and in 10% of bivalve samples. DBP was instead recovered in only 4% of samples (plankton and fish).

Share this paper