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Ranking of potential hazards from microplastics polymers in the marine environment
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Researchers developed a model to rank which types of microplastic polymers pose the greatest health risk from marine exposure pathways, based on their chemical toxicity when broken down and their particle size. Polyurethane, PVC, and polyacrylonitrile ranked as the most hazardous, while the toxicity of the broken-down chemical components was the single biggest factor in determining risk. This ranking system could help policymakers prioritize which plastic types to regulate first to protect human health.
Microplastics (MPs) have been detected globally in the marine environment. MP polymers of various kinds have different toxicity potentials when decomposed into monomers. Also, the toxicity of MPs is influenced by the particle size distribution of MPs. Based on these parameters, a semi-quantitative risk assessment model has been developed in this study to rank MP polymers of potential health concern emerging from marine exposure pathways. A screening strategy was used to categorize three probability factors and two impact factors and calculate the final risk scores. Four different scenarios were assessed to investigate the influence of risk factors on the model output. The screening strategy prioritised PUR, PVC, PAN, ABS, PMMA, SAN, TPU, UP, PET, PS, and HDPE as the top-ranking polymers of concern (descending order). The sensitivity analysis revealed parameters that influenced the final risk score were hazard score based on monomer classification (RF5 coefficient +0.60)> particle size distribution of MPs (RF4 +0.54)> annual global waste generation (RF1 +0.52)> status of degradation in the marine environment (RF3 +0.32)> mean density of polymers (RF2 +0.16). The outcome of this study can inform the scientific community and the policymakers for better management of MPs where regulation and guidelines need to be considered.
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