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Uptake and effects of microplastic textile fibers on freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna
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Researchers exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna to ground PET textile microfibers for 48 hours and found that fiber ingestion increased mortality in food-deprived organisms and that daphnids could not recover after transfer to clean water, providing the first evidence of PET textile microfiber bioavailability and toxicity in a standard ecotoxicology model.
Microplastic fibers (MP) from textile weathering and washing are increasingly being recognized as environmental pollutants. The majority of studies on the bioavailability and effects of microplastic focused on small polystyrene spherical plastic particles, while less data are available for fibers and for other materials besides polystyrene. We investigated the ingestion and effects of ground polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile microfibers (length range: 62-1400 μm, width 31-528 μm, thickness 1-21.5 μm) on the freshwater zooplankton crustacean Daphnia magna after a 48 h exposure and subsequent 24 h of recovery in MP free medium and algae. The majority of ingested fibers by D. magna were around 300 μm, but also some very large twisted MP fibers around 1400 μm were found inside the gut. Exposure to these fibers results in increased mortality of daphnids after 48 h only in the case where daphnids were not pre-fed with algae prior to experiment, but no effect was found when daphnids were fed before the experiments. Regardless of the feeding regime, daphnids were not able to recover from MP exposure after additional 24 h incubation period in a MP free medium with algae. The uptake and effects of PET textile MP on D. magna are presented here for the first time.
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Difference in sensitivity of Daphnia magna to pristine and aged microplastic fibers
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Researchers compared the acute and chronic toxicity of pristine versus UV-aged polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, and polyester microplastic fibers on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna, also testing natural wool and cellulose fibers as references. Aged plastic fibers showed different toxicity profiles than unaged fibers, with effects on survival, reproduction, growth, and oxygen consumption.
Effects of Polyester Fibers and Car Tire Particles on Freshwater Invertebrates
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Researchers assessed the ingestion and effects of polyester fibers and car tire particles on four freshwater invertebrate species under acute and chronic exposure conditions. The study found that while both microplastic types were ingested by all species tested, car tire particles caused greater mortality in Daphnia magna and Hyalella azteca. The results suggest that the chemical composition of microplastics plays an important role in their toxicity to freshwater organisms.
Acute toxicity of natural and synthetic clothing fibers towards Daphnia magna: Influence of fiber type and morphology
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Researchers tested the toxicity of natural and synthetic clothing fibers on small freshwater organisms (Daphnia magna) and found that nylon microfibers were acutely toxic, while natural fibers like cotton and silk caused no significant harm. Smoother fibers were more toxic than frayed ones, and the actual ingestion of fibers mattered more than how many were present in the water. These findings are important because textile fibers make up a large portion of microplastics in waterways and can enter the human food chain through contaminated aquatic organisms.
Chronic and Acute Water-Soluble Microplastics Uptake and Effects on Growth and Reproduction of Daphnia magna
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Researchers found that two water-soluble microplastics — polyvinyl alcohol and polymethacrylic acid — harm the water flea Daphnia magna, reducing lifespan, reproduction, and causing physical deformities, raising concerns about these less-studied plastic types that dissolve in water rather than forming visible particles.
Difference in sensitivity of Daphnia magna to pristine and aged microplastic fibers
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Researchers compared the sensitivity of Daphnia magna to pristine versus aged microplastic fibers, which make up a large proportion of environmental plastic pollution. Aged fibers showed different toxicity profiles than pristine fibers, highlighting the need to use environmentally weathered particles in ecotoxicology tests.
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