Microplastic-sorbed persistent organic pollutants in coastal Mediterranean Sea areas of Tunisia
Environmental Science Processes & Impacts2023
13 citations
?
Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
?
0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Hatem Zaghden,
Walid Ben Ameur,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Badreddine Barhoumi,
Badreddine Barhoumi,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Badreddine Barhoumi,
Badreddine Barhoumi,
Walid Ben Ameur,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
François Oberhaënsli,
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
François Oberhaënsli,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Hatem Zaghden,
Soufiane Touil,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
François Oberhaënsli,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Lassaad Chouba,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Abdelkader Derouiche,
Sihem Ben Hassine,
Sihem Ben Hassine,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Marc Métian,
Abdulla Al-Rawabdeh,
Marc Métian,
François Oberhaënsli,
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Walid Ben Ameur,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Marc Métian,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
François Oberhaënsli,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Sihem Ben Hassine,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
François Oberhaënsli,
Soufiane Touil,
Soufiane Touil,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
François Oberhaënsli,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Marc Métian,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
François Oberhaënsli,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Marc Métian,
Janeth Mora,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
François Oberhaënsli,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
François Oberhaënsli,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Janeth Mora,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Nikolaos Mourgkogiannis,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Marc Métian,
Soufiane Touil,
Abdulla Al-Rawabdeh,
Lassaad Chouba,
Marc Métian,
Marc Métian,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Soufiane Touil,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Carlos Alonso‐Hernández,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Mohamed Ridha Driss,
Ahmed Mliki,
Soufiane Touil,
Hrissi K. Karapanagioti
Summary
Researchers analyzed microplastics collected from four Tunisian Mediterranean beaches, finding they contained sorbed persistent organic pollutants including polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides, highlighting microplastics as vectors for toxic chemicals.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of global concern due to their pervasiveness, high sorption ability for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and direct and indirect toxicity to marine organisms, ecosystems, as well as humans. As one of the major coastal interfaces, beaches are considered among the most affected ecosystems by MPs pollution. The morphological characteristics of MPs (pellets and fragments) collected from four beaches along the Tunisian coast and sorbed POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), were investigated in this study. The results showed that the MPs varied greatly in color, polymer composition and degradation degree. The color varied from colored to transparent and the most prevalent polymer identified using Raman spectroscopy was polyethylene. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images exhibited various surface degradation features including cavities, cracks, attached diatom remains, <i>etc.</i> The concentrations of Σ<sub>12</sub>PCBs over all beaches ranged from 14 to 632 ng g<sup>-1</sup> and 26 to 112 ng g<sup>-1</sup> in the pellets and fragments, respectively, with a notable presence and dominance of highly-chlorinated PCBs such as CB-153 and -138. Among the OCPs, γ-HCH is the only compound detected with concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 9.7 ng g<sup>-1</sup> and 0.7 to 4.2 ng g<sup>-1</sup> in the pellets and fragments, respectively. Our findings indicate that MPs found on the Tunisian coast may pose a chemical risk to marine organisms as the concentrations of PCBs and γ-HCH in most of the analysed samples exceeded the sediment-quality guidelines (SQG), especially the effects range medium (ERM) and the probable effects level (PEL). As the first report of its kind, the information gathered in this study can serve as the baseline and starting point for future monitoring work for Tunisia and neighbouring countries, as well as for stakeholders and coastal managers in decision-making processes.