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Contribution of aged polystyrene microplastics to the bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in marine organisms using experimental and model analysis
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This study used experiments and bioaccumulation modeling to assess how weathered polystyrene microplastics affect pharmaceutical uptake in marine fish and seabirds, finding that aged MPs actually slightly reduced overall bioaccumulation of the drugs atorvastatin and amlodipine by acting as a sink, though warm-blooded animals still faced higher exposure risks than cold-blooded ones.
Microplastics (MPs) in the environment would undergo extensive weathering, which can act as a vector affecting the accumulation of pollutants in organisms. However, the risk of organic pollutants adsorbed on aged MPs to marine organisms is poorly understood. This study revealed the contribution of aged polystyrene (PS) MPs to the total bioaccumulation of atorvastatin (ATV) and amlodipine (AML), and assessed the environmental risks via experimental and model analysis. The results showed that pharmaceuticals were more easily released in gastrointestinal fluids from aged MPs relative to that in simulated seawater. The hydrophobic pharmaceuticals were more bioaccessible than hydrophilic ones by organisms. Model analysis showed that ingestion of water and food were the most important uptake routes for pharmaceuticals in marine fish and seabirds, while aged PS MPs could decrease the bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals (contributed for -2.9% and -1.2% for the total uptake of ATV, and -25.8% and -4.4% for AML), indicating the cleaning effect of aged MPs, and the potential higher exposure risks of pharmaceuticals in warm-blooded organisms than that in cold-blooded ones via ingested MPs. The study revealed the effect of aged MPs to the bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in marine organisms, and highlighted the combined risks of aged MPs and pharmaceuticals in the environment.
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Researchers investigated how pharmaceuticals desorb from pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics under simulated stomach and intestinal conditions of marine organisms. The study found that pharmaceutical release was higher in gut conditions due to intestinal components enhancing solubility, while aging of microplastics actually suppressed desorption by strengthening electrostatic bonds. Risk assessment indicated that microplastic-associated pharmaceuticals posed relatively low risks to organisms overall.
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Researchers compared how aged versus virgin polystyrene microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole and the beta-blocker propranolol in red tilapia. They found that aged microplastics, which have rougher surfaces from UV weathering, adsorbed more pharmaceuticals and altered their bioavailability to the fish. The study demonstrates that environmental aging of microplastics changes their capacity to carry and release pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic systems.
Sorption of two common antihypertensive drugs onto polystyrene microplastics in water matrices
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Researchers examined the sorption of two common antihypertensive drugs onto polystyrene microplastics in water, finding that microplastics can adsorb pharmaceutical compounds and may serve as vectors for drug transport in aquatic environments.
Enhanced adsorption of oxytetracycline to weathered microplastic polystyrene: Kinetics, isotherms and influencing factors
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Researchers compared how weathered and new polystyrene foam particles absorb the antibiotic oxytetracycline from water. They found that beached foam that had been exposed to environmental conditions absorbed roughly twice as much of the drug as virgin material, due to increased surface area and chemical changes from weathering. The study suggests that aged microplastics in the environment are more effective at picking up and transporting pharmaceutical contaminants.
Plastic as a Carrier of POPs to Aquatic Organisms: A Model Analysis
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Researchers developed a model to evaluate whether microplastic acts as a meaningful carrier of persistent organic pollutants to aquatic organisms. The analysis suggests that in both laboratory and open marine systems, microplastic ingestion is more likely to slightly decrease bioaccumulation of pollutants rather than increase it, and the differences are too small to be relevant for risk assessment.
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