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Release of additives and non-intentionally added substances from microplastics under environmentally relevant conditions
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Researchers measured how chemical additives leach out of different types of microplastics under realistic environmental conditions and found wildly different release rates — spanning five orders of magnitude over 64 days — highlighting that the type of plastic matters greatly when assessing the chemical risks microplastics pose to ecosystems.
Microplastics and their associated plastic additives are contaminants of emerging environmental concern. The extent and rate of additive leaching affects the behaviour and fate of these contaminants, and therefore the risk they present to organisms. However, most studies examining the leaching of additives from microplastics use methods that are not environmentally relevant. We evaluated additive leaching from a range of common plastics using an environmentally relevant dynamic leaching method with additives and non-intentionally added substances quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The leaching method was validated to ensure sink conditions were maintained over the duration of the test. Release was not solubility limited indicating that the test conditions were representative of those occurring in the environment. Leaching profiles showed significantly different kinetics across the different types of plastic, with cumulative additive release over 64 days spanning more than five orders of magnitude. This study highlights the wide variation in additive leaching behaviour between different plastics and the importance of understanding leaching kinetics to assess the chemical impacts of microplastic pollution. Furthermore, we identify the need for environmentally relevant leaching methods and suggest the creation of standardised methods to enable robust risk assessments and regulation.
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Researchers studied how environmental weathering affects the release of chemical additives from microplastics and found that the results varied widely depending on the type of plastic and additive. Contrary to common assumptions, weathering did not always increase chemical leaching; in fact, it only significantly changed release rates for three out of nine formulations tested. This means the health risks from microplastic additives are more complex than previously thought, as different plastic types behave very differently in the environment.
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Researchers reviewed how chemical additives mixed into plastics during manufacturing — including stabilizers, flame retardants, and plasticizers — can leach out throughout a plastic's lifecycle and pose risks to ecosystems and human health, with microplastics acting as carriers that concentrate and transport these hazardous chemicals.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.