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Are Biobased Microfibers Less Harmful than Conventional Plastic Microfibers: Evidence from Earthworms
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This study tested the toxicity of biobased viscose and lyocell fibers versus conventional polyester microfibers on earthworms, finding that biobased fibers are actually more acutely toxic at high concentrations and cause similar sublethal reproductive effects, cautioning against assuming bio-based plastic alternatives are inherently safer for soil ecosystems.
Biobased plastics are sometimes promoted as "environmentally friendly" compared to their conventional petrochemical-based counterparts, but their ecotoxicity is only partially understood. Biobased fibers are widely used in clothing and wet wipes and can accumulate in soils through the application of biosolid fertilizers. This study examined the lethal thresholds and sublethal toxicity of chemically characterized, additive-free, biobased (viscose and lyocell) compared to petrochemical-based (polyester) fibers on the key ecosystem engineer, Esenia fetida. Viscose and lyocell had LC20 values of 14.00 and 22.66 mg·L-1, respectively, and no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) of 0-2.8 mg·L-1 (72 h, OECD TG207 filter paper method), while for polyester these were LC20 15.6-31.3 mg·L-1 and NOEC 0-15.6 mg·L-1. Following 28 days of exposure to soils (OECD TG222) contaminated with environmentally relevant concentrations (100 mg kg-1), viscose significantly reduced the mass of progeny compared to polyester. Earthworms exposed to lyocell had a marginal growth reduction (-18%; compared to -11% to -13% in other treatments) linked to increased bioturbation activity. The biobased fibers examined here have greater acute toxicity at high concentrations and broadly similar sublethal effects on E. fetida compared to polyester. Our study highlights the importance of detailed testing before advocating specific materials as plastic alternatives/substitutes to conventional plastics.
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A comparison of the toxicity induced by the exposure to microplastics made of a conventional and a biodegradable polymer on the earthworm Eisenia fetida
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Researchers compared the toxicity of conventional versus biodegradable polymer microplastics on the earthworm Eisenia fetida, evaluating whether biodegradable alternatives present reduced ecotoxicological risk in soil environments where microplastic contamination is increasingly documented.
Impact of Conventional vs. Biodegradable and Compostable Microplastics on Eisenia fetida S.: An Ecopathological Approach
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Researchers compared the effects of biodegradable and conventional polyethylene microplastics on soil-dwelling earthworms and found that both types caused increased mortality, decreased biomass, and tissue damage after 14 days of exposure. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics are not necessarily safer than conventional ones, and that detailed tissue analysis can reveal harmful sublethal effects not captured by standard toxicity tests.
Reassessing Whether Biodegradable Microplastics Are Environmentally Friendly: Differences in Earthworm Physiological Responses and Soil Carbon Function Impacts
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Researchers compared the toxic effects of conventional (PP, PS) and biodegradable (PLA, PHA) microplastics on earthworm physiology and soil carbon function in haplic phaeozem soil. Biodegradable MPs were not environmentally friendly — PLA and PHA caused comparable or greater physiological stress in earthworms and disrupted soil carbon cycling to a similar degree as conventional plastics.
Impacts of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on the earthworm Eisenia andrei
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Researchers compared the ecotoxicological effects of conventional low-density polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate microplastics on the earthworm Eisenia andrei using an eight-week reproduction test across seven concentration levels. Both polymer types affected earthworm survival, reproduction, and oxidative stress markers, raising questions about whether biodegradable alternatives pose similar soil ecosystem risks.
Polyester-derived microfibre impacts on the soil-dwelling earthworm Lumbricus terrestris
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Researchers exposed earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) to soil containing polyester microfibres from textile laundering at realistic concentrations for 35 days, finding no mortality but a 1.5-fold reduction in soil casting activity and a 24-fold increase in metallothionein stress gene expression at the higher dose — indicating sublethal functional impacts on a key soil ecosystem engineer.
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