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Les confessions d'un primate, les coulisses d'une recherche sur le comportement animal Pierre Jouventin Belin, coll. « Pour la science å, 2001, 190 p, 98 F/14,94 euros.
Summary
For the first time, nanoplastics were detected in sand water extracts from Guadeloupe island coastal sands, and rare earth element (REE) geochemistry was used to trace the contribution of nanoplastics to the REE signature of coastal sediments — finding nanoplastics account for 29 to 73% of the REE signal. This novel geochemical approach could become a powerful tool for tracking nanoplastic fate in coastal environments.
The occurrence of nanoplastics in the environment is now known and presents new threats linked to plastic debris issues. New questions about the formation pathways and life cycle assessment of nanoplastics in continental and marine environments have been raised. In the present study, we focused on the Guadeloupe island coastal system. For the first time, we demonstrated the presence of nanoplastics in sand water extracts (SWEs). We also investigated the potential of rare earth elements (REE) in tracing nanoplastics. Based on the REE patterns of SWEs, beached plastics and modern corals, we demonstrated that nanoplastics are important components in the REE signature of coastal sand (29 to 73%). These original results demonstrate the relevance of developing geochemical tracers for determining the fate of missing plastic litter.