We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Impact of microplastics and aged microplastics on the toxicity of emerging contaminants in the soil
Summary
Researchers assessed how polypropylene (PP) microplastics and UV-aged PP microplastics modify the toxicity of eight emerging organic contaminants -- including diclofenac, ciprofloxacin, and diuron -- on soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus, finding that while PP alone had no effect at 5 mg/kg, its presence significantly amplified the toxicity of all tested organic pollutants.
Microplastics (MP) are ubiquitous in all parts of the ecosystem and have recently been proven to impact the toxicity of other environmental pollutants significantly. Most of the existing studies were conducted with aquatic organisms and focused on the effect of MPs on metal toxicity. Moreover, aged MPs, which are more environmental relevant structures of MPs, are rarely investigated in terms of toxicity. Oxygen-containing groups formed by aging increase MPs' charge, hydrophilicity, and polarity, affecting MP-organic pollutant binding. Hence, the impacts of MPs and aged MPs on the toxicity of organic emerging pollutants on soil organisms are lacking in the literature. This study aims to investigate the toxic effect of selected emerging organic pollutants on soil organism E. crypticus, in the presence of polypropene (PP) MPs and aged PP MPs. Selected emerging contaminants were diclofenac, ciprofloxacin, EE2, diuron, terbutryn, anthracene, diphenyl ether and diethyl hexyl phthalate. Toxicity was investigated for the reproduction end point, and NOEC and EC50 values were reported. PP and aged PP were added to the sets at a 5mg/kg concentration. It was found that microplastics alone did not show any effect on the reproduction of E. crypticus at this concentration, but they significantly increased the toxicity of organic pollutants. The individual NOEC value for microplastics and pollutants was 12.5mg/kg. In the presence of microplastics and aged microplastics, the pollutants were shown to have a significant effect at this concentration. The EC50 values of pollutants also decreased in the presence of MPs. Although the existing concentrations of the emerging contaminants in the soil is much lower than 12.5 mg/kg, the presence of PP and aged PP should be considered for the environmental risk management of organic emerging contaminants in the soil due to their potential to alter the reproduction toxicity. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/426991/document
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Alteration potential of Propylene microplastic on soil toxicity: impact of organic matter and aging of microplastics
Researchers examined the combined ecotoxic effects of polypropylene (PP) microplastics, UV-aged PP microplastics, cadmium, nickel, and biosolid amendments on the soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus, finding that aged PP increased metal toxicity compared to virgin PP, while biosolid addition reduced combined metal-microplastic toxicity in reproductive endpoint assays.
Bioassays to assess the ecotoxicological impact of polyethylene microplastics and two organic pollutants, simazine and ibuprofen
Researchers assessed the ecotoxicological impact of polyethylene microplastics combined with the organic pollutants simazine and ibuprofen using bioassays in terrestrial ecosystems, finding measurable toxic effects on soil organisms from both the microplastics and co-contaminants.
Ecotoxicological impact of naproxen on Eisenia fetida: Unraveling soil contamination risks and the modulating role of microplastics
Researchers found that the common painkiller naproxen and microplastics together had different toxic effects on earthworms than either pollutant alone, with microplastics altering how the drug was metabolized and accumulated. Microplastics caused oxidative damage and changed lipid metabolism patterns in the worms, and these effects dominated when both pollutants were present together. Since soils contain both pharmaceuticals and microplastics from sewage and runoff, this study shows how these co-occurring pollutants can interact in unexpected ways that affect soil ecosystem health.
Microplastics and Co‐Contaminants in Soil: A Review of Combined Ecological Impact and Emerging Remediation Strategies
This review synthesizes evidence on how microplastics in soil interact with co-contaminants including heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and persistent organic pollutants, finding that microplastics modify the mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity of these co-occurring pollutants in ways that current risk assessments do not fully capture.
Effects of co-loading of polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin on the antibiotic degradation efficiency and microbial community structure in soil
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin together affect soil microbial communities and antibiotic degradation. The study found that co-loading of microplastics with antibiotics altered microbial community structure and affected the rate of antibiotic degradation in soil, suggesting microplastic contamination may influence how soils process pharmaceutical pollutants.