As we know that marine microplastics gets colonised by various organic matters / living materials (e.g. biofilms, algae, microbes etc.) within a few weeks; Previous study has also indicated that these living materials can produces and emits dimethylsulfide (DMS) / dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), an algal based compound that some marine organisms use to find their food.
From the recent talk by Nadine Kämmer, University of Landau, whom you might want to contact anyway, I took away that the recent results are inconclusive and that methods need to be further developed in order to tangle apart the different interactions playing a role in marine organisms taking up microplastics. You would have to tag the natural compounds with a different signal to that from the microplastics, and then you need a method which at the same time measures accurately the very low environmental concentrations as well as tells their origin apart .. and then , in order to answer your question, you need a test system which actually reacts in a manageable time period to those low environmental concentrations .. In short, I don't think there is a convincing answer to your question yet.
Are you familiar with the following publications - a list which I took out of the presentation by Nadine:
ALFONSO-PRIETO, M., VIDOSSICH, P. & ROVIRA, C. 2012. The reaction mechanisms of heme catalases: an atomistic view by ab initio molecular dynamics. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics, 525, 121-130.
• AVIO, C. G., GORBI, S., MILAN, M., BENEDETTI, M., FATTORINI, D., D'ERRICO, G., PAULETTO, M., BARGELLONI, L. & REGOLI, F. 2015. Pollutants bioavailability and toxicological risk from microplastics to marine mussels. Environmental Pollution, 198, 211-222.
• DONAGHY, L., HONG, H.-K., JAUZEIN, C. & CHOI, K.-S. 2015. The known and unknown sources of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in haemocytes of marine bivalve molluscs. Fish & shellfish immunology, 42, 91-97.
• DÉTRÉE, C. & GALLARDO-ESCÁRATE, C. 2017. Polyethylene microbeads induce transcriptional responses with tissue-dependent patterns in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 83, 220-225.
• OWEN, G. 1955. Observations on the stomach and digestive diverticula of the Lamellibranchia. Journal of Cell Science, 3, 517-537. • PLASTICSEUROPE 2016. Plastics - the facts 2016: An analysis of European plastics production, demand and waste data • RIBEIRO, F., GARCIA, A. R., PEREIRA, B. P., FONSECA, M., MESTRE, N. C., FONSECA, T. G., ILHARCO, L. M. & BEBIANNO, M. J. 2017. Microplastics effects in Scrobicularia plana. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 122, 379-391.
• LU, Y., ZHANG, Y., DENG, Y., JIANG, W., ZHAO, Y., GENG, J., DING, L. & REN, H. 2016. Uptake and accumulation of polystyrene microplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio) and toxic effects in liver. Environmental science & technology, 50, 4054-4060.
• PAUL-PONT, I., LACROIX, C., FERNÁNDEZ, C. G., HÉGARET, H., LAMBERT, C., LE GOÏC, N., FRÈRE, L., CASSONE, A.-L., SUSSARELLU, R. & FABIOUX, C. 2016. Exposure of marine mussels Mytilus spp. to polystyrene microplastics: Toxicity and influence on fluoranthene bioaccumulation. Environmental Pollution, 216, 724-737.
• VON MOOS, N., BURKHARDT-HOLM, P. & KÖHLER, A. 2012. Uptake and effects of microplastics on cells and tissue of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. after an experimental exposure. Environmental science & technology, 46, 11327-11335.
Dear Anand,
Ultimately, it's the health risk to humans who end up consuming the marine organism.
But, what are the health effects? no detailed studies. Even there is no guideline value (not yet established) of microplastic particles in the drinking water standards.
Best wishes
Dear Dusmant,
It would be helpful to specify which marine organisms as the effect might be differ for each species.
In case of small zooplankton, like Copepods for example, ingestion of microplastic could end up clogging their digestive tract and they will die from indigestion, hunger, or intoxicated by their own waste (aka feces). Thus, over time, it is fatal for them. Also, yes, some main ingredients of plastic (microplastic) proved to be toxic for copepods.
As for larger animals, like fish or marine mammals, I believe the long-term health effects is still under intensive studies. But please note that plastic tend to have hydrophobic properties and tend to absorb hydrophobic pollutants, so expect a case of biomagnification of toxic pollutant here.
You might find this article useful (if you haven't read it)
Article Synthetic polymers in the marine environment: A rapidly incr...
Cheers,
AR
From the recent talk by Nadine Kämmer, University of Landau, whom you might want to contact anyway, I took away that the recent results are inconclusive and that methods need to be further developed in order to tangle apart the different interactions playing a role in marine organisms taking up microplastics. You would have to tag the natural compounds with a different signal to that from the microplastics, and then you need a method which at the same time measures accurately the very low environmental concentrations as well as tells their origin apart .. and then , in order to answer your question, you need a test system which actually reacts in a manageable time period to those low environmental concentrations .. In short, I don't think there is a convincing answer to your question yet.
Are you familiar with the following publications - a list which I took out of the presentation by Nadine:
ALFONSO-PRIETO, M., VIDOSSICH, P. & ROVIRA, C. 2012. The reaction mechanisms of heme catalases: an atomistic view by ab initio molecular dynamics. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics, 525, 121-130.
• AVIO, C. G., GORBI, S., MILAN, M., BENEDETTI, M., FATTORINI, D., D'ERRICO, G., PAULETTO, M., BARGELLONI, L. & REGOLI, F. 2015. Pollutants bioavailability and toxicological risk from microplastics to marine mussels. Environmental Pollution, 198, 211-222.
• DONAGHY, L., HONG, H.-K., JAUZEIN, C. & CHOI, K.-S. 2015. The known and unknown sources of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in haemocytes of marine bivalve molluscs. Fish & shellfish immunology, 42, 91-97.
• DÉTRÉE, C. & GALLARDO-ESCÁRATE, C. 2017. Polyethylene microbeads induce transcriptional responses with tissue-dependent patterns in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 83, 220-225.
• OWEN, G. 1955. Observations on the stomach and digestive diverticula of the Lamellibranchia. Journal of Cell Science, 3, 517-537. • PLASTICSEUROPE 2016. Plastics - the facts 2016: An analysis of European plastics production, demand and waste data • RIBEIRO, F., GARCIA, A. R., PEREIRA, B. P., FONSECA, M., MESTRE, N. C., FONSECA, T. G., ILHARCO, L. M. & BEBIANNO, M. J. 2017. Microplastics effects in Scrobicularia plana. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 122, 379-391.
• LU, Y., ZHANG, Y., DENG, Y., JIANG, W., ZHAO, Y., GENG, J., DING, L. & REN, H. 2016. Uptake and accumulation of polystyrene microplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio) and toxic effects in liver. Environmental science & technology, 50, 4054-4060.
• PAUL-PONT, I., LACROIX, C., FERNÁNDEZ, C. G., HÉGARET, H., LAMBERT, C., LE GOÏC, N., FRÈRE, L., CASSONE, A.-L., SUSSARELLU, R. & FABIOUX, C. 2016. Exposure of marine mussels Mytilus spp. to polystyrene microplastics: Toxicity and influence on fluoranthene bioaccumulation. Environmental Pollution, 216, 724-737.
• VON MOOS, N., BURKHARDT-HOLM, P. & KÖHLER, A. 2012. Uptake and effects of microplastics on cells and tissue of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. after an experimental exposure. Environmental science & technology, 46, 11327-11335.
Thank you very much for your suggestions. I deeply appreciate the time and effort you have spent to share your insightful advises which will be genuinely considered and adequately implemented.
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