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Threat of plastic ageing in marine environment. Adsorption/desorption of micropollutants.
Summary
Three plastic types (PVC, PET, and biodegradable PBAT) were aged in a French bay for 502 days to study how weathering affects their adsorption and release of pollutants. PVC was found to rapidly leach estrogenic compounds into seawater and later adsorb heavy metals, raising concern about the chemical hazards of aged marine plastics.
Ageing of various plastics in marine environment was monitored after immersion of two synthetic (polyvinylchloride, PVC, and polyethylene terephthalate, PET) and one biodegradable (poly(butylene adipate co-terephtalate), PBAT) plastics for 502days in the bay of Lorient (Brittany, France). Data analysis indicates that aged PVC rapidly releases estrogenic compounds in seawater with a later adsorption of heavy metals; PET undergoes a low weakening of the surface whereas no estrogenic activity is detected; PBAT ages faster in marine environment than PVC. Aged PBAT exhibits heterogeneous surface with some cavities likely containing clay minerals from the chlorite group. Besides, this degraded material occasionally shows a high estrogenic activity. Overall, this study reports, for the first time, that some aged plastics, without being cytotoxic, can release estrogenic compounds in marine environment.