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Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Striped Field Mice (Apodemus agraruis Pallas, 1771) from Moscow Parks
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Researchers isolated and characterized microplastics from the gastrointestinal tracts of striped field mice from Moscow parks for the first time, finding microplastics in all animals examined with small colored threads dominating, including a toxic vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer.
Microplastics (MPs) were for the first time isolated and partly identified from the contents of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771) from two Moscow parks, Neskuchny Garden (n = 5) and Terletsky Park (n = 1). MPs were found in the GI tracts of all mice examined. Small multicolored threads dominated in samples. The chemical composition of the longest thread (>4 mm) was analyzed using a Foton-Bio Raman microscope (Russia). A toxic copolymer of vinylidene chloride and acrylonitrile was identified in the composition (72.4% match). Artificial coverings in the park or films were presumably its source. The findings will contribute to the development of measures to control MP pollution in urban ecosystems and are important for assessing the risk to other vertebrates, including humans.
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