Article
?
AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button.
Tier 2
?
Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Food & Water
Marine & Wildlife
Sign in to save
Spatial variability of phthalates contamination in the reef-building corals Porites lutea, Pocillopora verrucosa and Pavona varians
Marine Pollution Bulletin2020
48 citations
?
Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 45
?
0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Simone Montano
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Davide Seveso,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Davide Seveso,
Francesco Saliu,
Davide Seveso,
Simone Montano
Simone Montano
Simone Montano
Simone Montano
Simone Montano
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Davide Maggioni,
Davide Seveso,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Simone Montano
Paolo Galli,
Francesco Saliu,
Simone Montano
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Davide Seveso,
Paolo Galli,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Stefano Fabbri Corsarini,
Davide Seveso,
Simone Montano
Simone Montano
Stefano Fabbri Corsarini,
Simone Montano
Paolo Galli,
Davide Seveso,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Francesco Saliu,
Davide Seveso,
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Simone Montano
Francesco Saliu,
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Davide Maggioni,
Paolo Galli,
Francesco Saliu,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Davide Seveso,
Davide Seveso,
Davide Seveso,
Francesco Saliu,
Davide Seveso,
Francesco Saliu,
Simone Montano
Davide Seveso,
Paolo Galli,
Paolo Galli,
Simone Montano
Summary
More than 95% of reef-building corals sampled across several species and reef sites in French Polynesia contained phthalate plasticizers, with concentrations up to 172 nanograms per gram, suggesting widespread and ubiquitous contamination. The study establishes phthalates as a novel, previously unrecognized form of contamination in coral reef ecosystems.
Microplastic pollution represents a serious hazard for the marine environment, including coral reefs. Scleractinian corals can easily mistake microplastics with their natural preys, and ingest them and all the annexed plasticizer additives. Here we selectively searched on field for five phthalates esters (PAEs) namely dibutyl-phthalate (DBP), benzylbutyl-phthalate (BBzP), diethyl-phthalate (DEP), Bis(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), and dimethyl-phthalate (DMP) in the coral species Pocillopora verrucosa, Porites lutea and Pavona varians. Our data reveal that >95% of corals sampled were contaminated, with a maximum of 172.4 ng/g, a value 7 time-fold higher than those found in a previous study. The Σ PAEs showed an average of about 30 ng/g per coral, but no differences in PAEs contamination was detected between species, depth or reef exposure. Despite their effects on coral physiology are not yet known, PAEs should be now considered as a novel, and ubiquitous, form of contamination in corals.