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Role of benzophenone-3 additive in chronic toxicity of polyethylene microplastic fragments to Daphnia magna
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Researchers studied how the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 in polyethylene microplastics affects chronic toxicity in the water flea Daphnia magna. Surprisingly, daphnids exposed to microplastics containing BP-3 had higher survival rates than those exposed to plain microplastics, likely because BP-3 leachate altered the organisms' light-seeking behavior, reducing their microplastic intake. However, both BP-3-containing microplastics and BP-3 alone negatively affected reproduction, suggesting the additive introduces distinct toxicity concerns.
Plastic additives may accelerate adverse effects of microplastics (MPs). This study aimed to identify the role of benzophenone-3 (BP-3) additive (10.82 ± 1.20% w/w) in chronic toxicity of polyethylene MP fragments to Daphnia magna (D. magna). MP fragments with and without BP-3 (48.37 ± 6.26 and 44.39 ± 11.16 μm, respectively) were synthesized and 4 d-old D. magna were exposed for 17 d. Daphnids exposed to MP/BP-3 fragments (98%) showed higher survival than those exposed to MP fragments (62%), which can be explained by a significantly low (p < 0.0001) bioconcentration of MP/BP-3 fragments. BP-3 leachate induced significantly low (p < 0.05) phototactic behavior of D. magna, likely leading to the low bioconcentration of MP/BP-3 fragments. Unlike MP fragments, both MP/BP-3 fragments and BP-3 additive inhibited embryonic development and offspring growth in a similar manner. Additionally, only BP-3 additive significantly induced (p < 0.05) higher lipid peroxidation in D. magna. This study suggests the critical role of plastic additives in MPs chronic toxicity to aquatic organisms, which should be further identified for other environmentally relevant plastic additives.
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Role of benzophenone-3 additive in the effect of polyethylene microplastics on Daphnia magna population dynamics
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This 34-day study examined how polyethylene microplastic fragments, both with and without the common plastic additive benzophenone-3, affect Daphnia magna water flea populations. Researchers found that while the microplastics alone did not significantly change population size during the growth phase, the presence of the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 altered population dynamics, suggesting that plastic additives may pose greater ecological risks than the plastic particles themselves.
Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity
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Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.
Distinct Effect of Benzophenone-3 Additive Leaching from Polyethylene Microplastics on Daphnia magna Population Dynamics
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This study found that chemical additives leaching from polyethylene microplastics — specifically the UV stabilizer benzophenone-3 — caused significantly more harm to water flea (Daphnia magna) populations than the microplastic particles themselves. Leachate from the plastic delayed development and stunted growth, resulting in a population nearly 15 times smaller after 18 days compared to controls. The plastic particles alone did not cause significant population decline. This highlights that the hidden chemicals inside plastics may pose a greater ecological risk than the physical particles, a concern for aquatic food webs that ultimately link to human seafood consumption.
Transgenerational effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments containing benzophenone-3 additive in Daphnia magna
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Researchers investigated the transgenerational effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments containing the UV filter benzophenone-3 on water fleas (Daphnia magna) across four generations. They found that while mortality effects recovered by the third unexposed generation, reproductive impairments persisted, with the additive BP-3 contributing more to long-term toxicity than the plastic particles alone. The study suggests that chemical additives in microplastics may pose lasting risks to aquatic organisms even across generations that were never directly exposed.
Role of extracellular polymeric substances in leaching and bioconcentration of benzophenone-3 from microplastic fragments
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Researchers found that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by the alga Chlorella vulgaris reduced leaching of the UV filter benzophenone-3 (BP-3) from polyethylene microplastics under most conditions, but that Daphnia magna still bioconcentrated the chemical, demonstrating complex interactions between microplastics, biopolymers, and additive toxicity.
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