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Role of Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Microplastic in Modulating the toxicological Effects of Organic Pollutants in the Soil Organism Folsomia candida
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Researchers exposed soil-dwelling springtail insects to combinations of microplastics and agricultural chemicals and found that biodegradable plastics (PBAT- and starch-based) made the toxicity of pesticides and veterinary drugs significantly worse, while conventional polyethylene plastic did not — raising concerns that "eco-friendly" biodegradable plastics may actually increase chemical risks in farming soils.
Abstract The ecotoxicological effects of microplastics in soil ecosystems are complex, particularly in areas of intensive agriculture and livestock production, where plant protection products and veterinary drugs commonly coexist with plastic residues. In this study, we investigated the impact, under laboratory conditions, of 3 MP types (non-biodegradable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate-based (PBAT-based) and a starch-based polymer) on the soil-dwelling species Folsomia candida (Willem, 1902) in soils contaminated with the anthelmintic albendazole and the fungicide pyraclostrobin. These organic pollutants (OPs) are frequently found in areas of intensive agriculture and livestock production. F. candida individuals were exposed for 28 days to soils contaminated by the OPs at 0.0001 w/w% (1 mg/kg), with and without MPs at 0.01 and 0.1 w/w% concentrations (100 and 1000 mg/kg respectively), under laboratory conditions (21 ± 1 C°, 80% ± 1 RH). Adults’ survival, egg production, and juveniles’ occurrence were recorded as endpoints. Our findings indicate that microplastics alone did not significantly affect the survival and reproductive outcomes of F. candida . However, in soils contaminated with albendazole and pyraclostrobin, the presence of biodegradable MPs resulted in significant effects compared to the control and the treatment with only microplastics. Specifically, PBAT-based MPs significantly impacted adult survival, juvenile occurrence, and egg counts, while starch-based MPs primarily affected egg counts. On the contrary, co-exposure to OPs and LDPE MPs did not show significant effects. These results suggest that different MPs influence the bioavailability and toxicity of co-occurring fungicides and veterinary drug in soil ecosystems in different ways, with implications for assessing the ecological risks of biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics in contaminated soils. The potential of MPs to influence the spatial distribution and bioavailability of organic pollutants for soil mesofauna needs further investigation.
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