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Organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and metalloids in microplastics found in regurgitated pellets of black vulture from Campeche, Mexico
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Researchers analyzed microplastics found in regurgitated pellets of black vultures feeding at landfills in Campeche, Mexico, testing for associated toxic chemicals. They detected organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals adsorbed onto the microplastic particles. The study suggests that wildlife feeding at landfills faces combined exposure to microplastics and the toxic pollutants they carry.
Plastics are produced by the millions of tons worldwide each year, with their final deposition in landfills (LFs). Plastics deposited in LFs can fragment over time, giving rise to mesoplastics and later to microplastics (MPs), in which toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, organochlorine pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can adhere. MPs can be vectors for the exposure to pollutants of black vultures (Coragyps atratus) due to feeding in LFs, resulting in accidental ingestion of MPs. It is also possible that MPs can adsorb pollutants from vultures during the digestion process. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of black vulture exposure to MPs, heavy metals (HMs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fifty-eight black vulture pellets were collected at the Campeche LF during 2019 (n = 24) and 2020 (n = 34). The pellets, on average, had an MP load per pellet of 6.7 ± 5.8 MPs/total pellets. The greatest abundance of MPs was detected in 2019, with 225 particles in total. The concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Hg, As, and Al were detected in the MPs, with the greatest average concentration of 35.59 ± 32.39 μg·g (2019) and 15.82 ± 17.47 μg·g (2020) for Al. In 2020, ∑endosulfans were present in all MPs at 0.97 ± 1.47 ng·g. Among the PAHs, 15 of the 16 compounds indicated as priorities by the US EPA were quantified. The compound with the greatest total concentration for both years was acenaphthylene (3 rings), with 10.51 ± 7.88 ng·g (2019) and 10.61 ± 18 ng·g (2020). More research is needed regarding the origin of the contaminants detected in the MPs extracted from the pellets, since the contaminants may come from the environment or possibly from the digestion processes in the stomach of avian raptors and scavengers.
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