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PET plastics as a Trojan horse for radionuclides

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2022 20 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.

Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Radhouan El Zrelli, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Lamia Yacoubi, Radhouan El Zrelli, Radhouan El Zrelli, Radhouan El Zrelli, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Sylvie Castet, Jeroen E., Sonke, Sylvie Castet, Lamia Yacoubi, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Michel Grégoire, Claudie Josse, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, J. F. Olive, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, J. F. Olive, Jeroen E., Sonke, Jeroen E., Sonke, Pierre Courjault‐Radé, Pieter van Beek, Jeroen E., Sonke, Lotfi Rabaoui Lotfi Rabaoui Jeroen E., Sonke, Lotfi Rabaoui Lotfi Rabaoui Thomas Zambardi, Thomas Zambardi, Radhouan El Zrelli, Marc Souhaut, Marc Souhaut, Pieter van Beek, Jeroen E., Sonke, Thomas Zambardi, Thomas Zambardi, Lotfi Rabaoui

Summary

Researchers discovered that PET plastic bottles collected near a phosphate fertilizer plant had accumulated natural and artificial radionuclides, demonstrating that littered plastics can act as carriers for radioactive contaminants and pose potential health risks.

Polymers

PE PET

Body Systems

Reproductive Respiratory

Mismanaged plastic waste interacts with secondary environmental pollutants, potentially aggravating their impact on ecosystems and human health. Here we characterized the natural and artificial radionuclides in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles collected from the industrial littoral discharge of a phosphate fertilizer plant. The activity concentrations in littered bottles ranged from 0.47 (Tl) to 12.70 Bq·kg (Ra), with a mean value of 5.30 Bq·kg. All the human health risk assessment indices (annual intake, annual effective dose, and excess lifetime cancer risk) estimated for radionuclides associated with ingestion and inhalation of microplastics were below international safety limits. Our results demonstrated that PET can be loaded with natural and artificial radionuclides, and potentially act as a carrier to transfer radionuclides to humans, posing a new potential health risk. Increased use, mismanagement and fragmentation of plastic waste, and continued interaction of plastic waste with radioelements may lead to enhanced radiation exposure in the future.

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