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Modulation of chlorpyrifos toxicity to soil arthropods by simultaneous exposure to polyester microfibers or tire particle microplastics
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Researchers found that tire particle microplastics reduced the toxicity of the insecticide chlorpyrifos to soil arthropods by a factor of 2-4, while polyester microfibers had more limited protective effects depending on the species.
Synthetic fibers released from sewage sludge and tire particles released from traffic are among the most common types of microplastics in soil. In soil, microplastics may interact with chemicals, such as plant protection products used in agriculture. Most studies on the interactions of microplastics and chemicals focused on aquatic environments and only few addressed soil arthropods. To increase the understanding of the combined effects of microplastics and chemicals on soil arthropods, we studied the effects of polyester fibers and tire particles on the toxicity of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Springtails (Folsomia candida) and woodlice (Porcellio scaber) were exposed in Lufa 2.2 soil to a range of chlorpyrifos concentrations (0.0088–0.8 and 0.2–3.9 mg kg−1 dry soil, respectively) without or with 0.05 % w/w (“low”) or 0.5 % w/w (“high”) of microplastics. Tire particles reduced the lethality of chlorpyrifos to springtails (LC50 = 0.13–0.14 mg kg−1 dry soil) and isopods (LC50 = 1.6 mg kg−1 dry soil) by a factor of 2- > 2.5 and the chlorpyrifos-induced inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and changes in electron transfer system (ETS) activity in P. scaber by a factor of 2–4. Polyester fibers reduced the chlorpyrifos-induced inhibition of AChE activity by a factor of 2 and increased (ETS) activity in P. scaber by a factor of >3. The fibers did not affect the toxicity of chlorpyrifos to the survival of P. scaber or the survival and reproduction of F. candida. These results indicate that the bioavailability of chlorpyrifos may be decreased by microplastics, especially by tire particles. This study shows the importance of applying a mixture toxicity approach for understanding the threats of microplastics to soil, but also suggests that the organism and the endpoints chosen are crucial for the interpretation of the effects of combined exposures to microplastics and chemicals.
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Researchers investigated how polyethylene mulch film microplastics interact with pesticides in agricultural soil and their combined effects on earthworms. The study found that sorption of pesticides to mulch film microplastics actually decreased the bioavailability of two model pesticides to earthworms, suggesting that in some cases microplastics may reduce rather than increase pesticide toxicity to soil organisms.
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Adding polyester microplastics to soil slowed leaf litter decomposition rates but did not significantly alter the communities of soil microarthropods like mites and springtails. This suggests microplastics can disrupt important nutrient cycling processes in soil ecosystems even without directly killing soil-dwelling animals.
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Researchers assessed the ingestion and effects of polyester fibers and car tire particles on four freshwater invertebrate species under acute and chronic exposure conditions. The study found that while both microplastic types were ingested by all species tested, car tire particles caused greater mortality in Daphnia magna and Hyalella azteca. The results suggest that the chemical composition of microplastics plays an important role in their toxicity to freshwater organisms.
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