Co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic

Discovery of novel benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers in surface water

The comprehensive understanding of the occurrence of benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BZT-UVs) in environmental surface water is imperative due to their widespread application and potential aquatic toxicity. We conducted an analysis of 13 traditional BZT-UVs in surface water samples collected from Taihu Lake (TL, n = 23) and Qiantang River (QR, n = 22) in China. The results revealed that 5‑chloro-2-(3,5-di-tertbutyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)-benzotriazole (UV-327) was consistently the predominant BZT-UV in water samples from TL (mean 16 ng/L; detection frequency 96 %) and QR (14 ng/L; 91 %). Furthermore, we developed a characteristic fragment ion-based strategy to screen and identify unknown BZT-UVs in collected surface water, utilizing a high-resolution mass spectrometer. A total of seven novel BZT-UVs were discovered in water samples, and their chemical structures were proposed. Four of these novel BZT-UVs were further confirmed with standards provided by industrial manufacturers. Semi-quantitative analysis revealed that among discovered novel BZT-UVs, 2-(2‑hydroxy-3‑tert‑butyl‑5-methylphenyl)-benzotriazole was consistently the predominant novel BZT-UV in TL (mean 4.1 ng/L, detection frequency 70 %) and QR (2.8 ng/L, 77 %) water. In TL water, the second predominant novel BZT-UV was 2-(3-allyl-2‑hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole (mean 3.9 ng/L, Collapse

Key Words

• Benzotriazole UV stabilizers
• Non-target analysis
• Novel BZT-UVs
• Surface water
• UV-327

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MESH Headings

• Triazoles/chemistry
• Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry
• China
• Lakes/chemistry
• Ultraviolet Rays
• Rivers/chemistry
• Environmental Monitoring

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Grants Collapse

Affiliation(s)

Yuanchen Chen Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
Ruyue Guo Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
Kaizhen Liao Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
Wenfei Yu Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
Pengfei Wu Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, PR China
Hangbiao Jin Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China.

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Phthalate esters pollution in the leachate, soil, and water around a landfill near the sea, Iran

This investigation aimed to scrutinize the level of phthalate esters (PEs) in the landfill leachate of a coastal city in the north of the Persian Gulf and the sensitive ecosystem (soil and water) around it. Soil (two depths) and water samples were prepared from 5 stations in wet and dry seasons. The studied landfill leachate contained 114-303 μg/L of phthalates. The highest concentration of phthalates was related to bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (3257 ng/g) in the wet season at surface soil (0-5 cm) in the landfill site, while the lowest one (6 ng/g) belonged to dimethyl phthalate at sub-surface soil at 700 m from the landfill in the dry season. A significant change in the level of Σ6PEs in the dry (303 μg/L) and wet (114 μg/L) seasons (P ≤ 0.05) was observed for water samples. The PE concentrations in wet times were higher in all soil depths than in dry times. With increasing depth, the content of phthalates decreased in all studied environments. A direct relationship was observed between the phthalates concentration and the pH value of leachate/water and soil. The PEs concentration was linked to electrical conductivity (leachate: R2 = 0.65, P < 0.01 and surface soil: R2 = 0.77, P < 0.05) and the soil organic content. The ecological risk of di-n-butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and di-n-octyl phthalate in the wet season was greater than one. The results showed that significant levels of phthalate esters are released from landfills to the surrounding environment, which requires adequate measures to maintain the health of the ecosystem and nearby residents.

Life starts with plastic: High occurrence of plastic pieces in fledglings of northern fulmars

Plastic pollution threatens many organisms around the world. In particular, the northern fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, is known to ingest high quantities of plastics. Since data are sparse in the Eurasian Arctic, we investigated plastic burdens in the stomachs of fulmar fledglings from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Fifteen birds were collected and only particles larger than 1 mm were extracted, characterised and analysed with Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy. All birds ingested plastic. In total, 683 plastic particles were found, with an average of 46 ± 40 SD items per bird. The most common shape, colour and polymer were hard fragment, white, and polyethylene, respectively. Microplastics (< 5 mm) were slightly more represented than mesoplastics (> 5 mm). This study confirms high numbers of ingested plastics in fulmar fledglings from Svalbard and suggests that fulmar fledglings may be suitable for temporal monitoring of plastic pollution, avoiding potential biases caused by age composition or breeding state.

Can plastic related chemicals be indicators of plastic ingestion in an Arctic seabird?

For decades, the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) has been found to ingest and accumulate high loads of plastic due to its feeding ecology and digestive tract morphology. Plastic ingestion can lead to both physical and toxicological effects as ingested plastics can be a pathway for hazardous chemicals into seabirds' tissues. Many of these contaminants are ubiquitous in the environment and the contribution of plastic ingestion to the uptake of those contaminants in seabirds' tissues is poorly known. In this study we aimed at quantifying several plastic-related chemicals (PRCs) -PBDE209, several dechloranes and several phthalate metabolites- and assessing their relationship with plastic burdens (both mass and number) to further investigate their potential use as proxies for plastic ingestion. Blood samples from fulmar fledglings and liver samples from both fledgling and non-fledgling fulmars were collected for PRC quantification. PBDE209 and dechloranes were quantified in 39 and 33 livers, respectively while phthalates were quantified in plasma. Plastic ingestion in these birds has been investigated previously and showed a higher prevalence in fledglings. PBDE209 was detected in 28.2 % of the liver samples. Dechlorane 602 was detected in all samples while Dechloranes 601 and 604 were not detected in any sample. Dechlorane 603 was detected in 11 individuals (33%). Phthalates were detected in one third of the analysed blood samples. Overall, no significant positive correlation was found between plastic burdens and PRC concentrations. However, a significant positive relationship between PBDE209 and plastic number was found in fledglings, although likely driven by one outlier. Our study shows the complexity of PRC exposure, the timeline of plastic ingestion and subsequent uptake of PRCs into the tissues in birds, the additional exposure of these chemicals via their prey, even in a species ingesting high loads of plastic.

How do life history and behaviour influence plastic ingestion risk in Canadian freshwater and terrestrial birds?

Plastic ingestion presents many potential avenues of risk for wildlife. Understanding which species and environments are most exposed to plastic pollution is a critical first step in investigating the One Health implications of plastic exposure. The objectives of this study were the following: 1) Utilize necropsy as part of ongoing passive disease surveillance to investigate ingested mesoplastics in birds collected in Ontario and Nunavut, and examine the relationships between bird-level factors and ingested debris; 2) evaluate microplastic ingestion compared to ingested mesodebris in raptors; and 3) identify potential sentinel species for plastic pollution monitoring in understudied freshwater and terrestrial (inland) environments. Between 2020 and 2022, 457 free-ranging birds across 52 species were received for postmortem examination. The upper gastrointestinal tracts were examined for mesoplastics and other debris (>2 mm) using standard techniques. Twenty-four individuals (5.3%) retained mesodebris and prevalence varied across species, with foraging technique, food type, and foraging substrate all associated with different metrics of debris ingestion. The odds of ingesting any type of anthropogenic mesodebris was nine times higher for non-raptorial species than for raptors. For a subset of raptors (N = 54) across 14 species, the terminal portion of the distal intestinal tract was digested with potassium hydroxide and microparticles were assessed using stereo-microscopy. Although only one of 54 (1.9%) raptors included in both analyses retained mesodebris in the upper gastrointestinal tract, 24 (44.4%) contained microparticles in the distal intestine. This study demonstrates that a variety of Canadian bird species ingest anthropogenic debris in inland systems, and suggests that life history and behaviour are associated with ingestion risk. For raptors, the mechanisms governing exposure and ingestion of mesoplastics appear to be different than those that govern microplastics. Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) are proposed as ideal sentinels for plastic pollution monitoring in inland systems.

Dynamics and effects of plastic contaminants' assimilation in gulls

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are persistent disrupters assimilated by organisms, yet little is known about their link to plastic ingestion and health effects. In an experiment, two groups of yellow-legged/lesser black-backed gulls (Larus michahellis/Larus fuscus) were fed plastics with BDE99 to assess leaching into brain, preen oil, liver and fat tissues and evaluate effects on health and stress parameters. Although most plastic was regurgitated, we observed a clear relation between plastic ingestion and chemical leaching. BDE99 exhibited higher levels in brain tissue of gulls from the plastic groups. Also, only values of cholinesterases measured in plasma were significantly reduced in the 'plastic' groups. Cholinesterase activity in the brain also tended to decrease, suggesting a negative effect in gulls' neurofunction. Results indicate that chemical leaching occurs, even when plastics stay in the stomach for a short period of time and showed that this can affect gulls' health.

Occurrence, transport, and toxicity of microplastics in tropical food chains: perspectives view and way forward

Microplastics, which have a diameter of less than 5 mm, are becoming an increasingly prevalent contaminant in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to the dramatic increase in plastic production to 390.7 million tonnes in 2021. Among all the plastics produced since 1950, nearly 80% ended up in the environment or landfills and eventually reached the oceans. Currently, 82-358 trillion plastic particles, equivalent to 1.1-4.9 million tonnes by weight, are floating on the ocean's surface. The interactions between microorganisms and microplastics have led to the transportation of other associated pollutants to higher trophic levels of the food chain, where microplastics eventually reach plants, animals, and top predators. This review paper focuses on the interactions and origins of microplastics in diverse environmental compartments that involve terrestrial and aquatic food chains. The present review study also critically discusses the toxicity potential of microplastics in the food chain. This systematic review critically identified 206 publications from 2010 to 2022, specifically reported on microplastic transport and ecotoxicological impact in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Based on the ScienceDirect database, the total number of studies with "microplastic" as the keyword in their title increased from 75 to 4813 between 2010 and 2022. Furthermore, various contaminants are discussed, including how microplastics act as a vector to reach organisms after ingestion. This review paper would provide useful perspectives in comprehending the possible effects of microplastics and associated contaminants from primary producers to the highest trophic level (i.e. human health).

Impact of anthropogenous environmental factors on the marine ecosystem of trophically transmitted helminths and hosting seabirds: Focus on North Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic and the Arctic seas

Alongside natural factors, human activities have a major impact on the marine environment and thus influence processes in vulnerable ecosystems. The major purpose of this review is to summarise the current understanding as to how manmade factors influence the marine biocenosis of helminths, their intermediate hosts as well as seabirds as their final hosts. Moreover, it highlights current knowledge gaps regarding this ecosystem, which should be closed in order to gain a more complete understanding of these interactions. This work is primarily focused on helminths parasitizing seabirds of the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. The complex life cycles of seabird helminths may be impacted by fishing and aquaculture, as they interfere with the abundance of fish and seabird species, while the latter also affects the geographical distribution of intermediate hosts (marine bivalve and fish species), and may therefore alter the intertwined marine ecosystem. Increasing temperatures and seawater acidification as well as environmental pollutants may have negative or positive effects on different parts of this interactive ecosystem and may entail shifts in the abundance or regional distribution of parasites and/or intermediate and final hosts. Organic pollutants and trace elements may weaken the immune system of the hosting seabirds and hence affect the final host's ability to control the endoparasites. On the other hand, in some cases helminths seem to function as a sink for trace elements resulting in decreased concentrations of heavy metals in birds' tissues. Furthermore, this article also describes the role of helminths in mass mortality events amongst seabird populations, which beside natural causes (weather, viral and bacterial infections) have anthropogenous origin as well (e.g. oil spills, climate change, overfishing and environmental pollution).

Large-scale assessment of exposure to legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in China's shorebirds

Emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become more widely applied, whereas legacy PFAS such as PFOS continue to distribute ubiquitously in the environment. Large-scale assessment of wildlife exposure to both emerging and legacy PFAS plays a key role in effective biomonitoring to better discriminate regional contamination patterns and provide early warnings. Using eggs of two closely-related shorebird species collected across China during the breeding season in 2021, we constructed contrasting PFAS levels and profiles in coastal versus inland populations. The highest ∑PFAS concentrations were found in two Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) populations from the Bohai Sea, a semi-enclosed shallow bay located in northeast China. These two populations showed exceptionally high PFOA concentrations (mean: 94 and 121 ng/g wet weight; West and North Bohai Sea, respectively) dominating the overall PFAS profile (66% for both). This pattern is characteristic, compared to that of other seabird eggs worldwide. By comparison, PFAS profile in the white-faced plover (Charadrius dealbatus) population at the South China Sea coast was dominated by PFOS (46%), which showed similar levels to those at the North Bohai Sea coast (mean: 29 and 20 ng/g, respectively). PFAS concentrations of Kentish plovers from the remote Qinghai Lake were lower compared to the three coastal populations, and were dominated by PFNA (mean: 2.6 ng/g, 29%) and PFOS (mean: 2.5 ng/g, 27%). None of the eggs analyzed in the present study exceeded estimated toxicity reference values for PFOS or PFOA. Additionally, the emerging 6:2 Cl-PFESA was detected in eggs from all regions, while its concentrations were highest in the Bohai Sea populations, and short-chain PFBS was only detected in the North Bohai Sea population. Our results indicate intensive local emissions of PFOA and emerging PFAS at the Bohai Sea region, and warrant further investigation and monitoring.

Global ocean contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: A review of seabird exposure

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been extensively produced and used as surfactants and repellents for decades. To date, the global contamination pattern of PFAS in marine biota has seldomly been reviewed. Seabirds are ideal biomonitoring tools to study environmental contaminants and their effects. Here, we compiled and synthesized reported PFAS concentrations in various seabird species to reflect spatiotemporal patterns and exposure risks of major PFAS on a global ocean scale. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) was the most studied PFAS in seabirds, which showed the highest level in eggs of common guillemots (U. aalge) from the Baltic Sea, followed by great cormorants (P. carbo) from the North Sea and double-crested cormorants (P.auritus) from the San Francisco Bay, whereas the lowest were those reported for Antarctic seabirds. The temporal pattern showed an overall higher level of PFOS in the late 1990s and early 2000s, consistent with the phase-out of perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride-based products. Maximum liver PFOS concentrations in several species such as cormorants and fulmars from Europe and North America exceeded the estimated toxicity reference values. Systematic evaluations using representative species and long time-series are necessary to understand contamination patterns in seabirds in South America, Africa, and Asia where information is lacking. In addition, limited research has been conducted on the identification and toxic effects of novel substitutes such as fluorotelomers and ether PFAS (F-53B, Gen-X etc.) in seabirds. Further research, including multi-omics analysis, is needed to comprehensively characterize the exposure and toxicological profiles of PFAS in seabirds and other wildlife.

Changes in plastic ingestion by yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) over the breeding season

Gulls can be particularly vulnerable to ingesting plastics when using anthropogenic food sources, with potential consequences for survival and reproductive success. Although birds are known to switch foraging habitats over the breeding season to provide higher quality food for chick provisioning, it is unclear what this means regarding the ingestion of plastics. Here, we tested whether breeding gulls decrease the amount of plastic ingested during reproduction by collecting pellets from a series of monitored nests at a large yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) colony in southern France. We found at least one plastic item in 83.9 % of the analyzed pellets, with the most abundant plastic type being polyethylene-based sheet plastic. As predicted, we found a slight decrease in the number of plastic items in pellets at chick hatching. These results suggest that gulls, like other birds, may adjust foraging habits to provide more digestible, less risky, food to chicks.

Microplastics ingestion and chemical pollutants in seabirds of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain)

Plastic pollution constitutes an environmental problem in the Canary Islands nowadays. Nevertheless, studies evaluating the impact of plastics on its avifauna are still scarce. Gastrointestinal tracts of 88 birds belonging to 14 species were studied for the presence of plastics. Moreover, their livers were analyzed for the determination of bromodiphenyl ethers (BDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). Among Cory's shearwaters (n = 45), the frequency of occurrence of plastic ingestion was considerably high (88.89 %). This species had the highest mean value of items (7.22 ± 5.66) and most of them were compatible with lines derived from fishing gear. PCBs and PAHs were detected in all of the samples and OCPs in the great majority of them (98.86 %). Our results highlight the problems that plastic debris (mainly for seabirds) and organic pollutants pose to these species.

Biowastes for biodegradable bioplastics production and end-of-life scenarios in circular bioeconomy and biorefinery concept

Due to global urbanization, industrialization, and economic development, biowastes generation represents negative consequences on the environment and human health. The use of generated biowastes as a feedstock for biodegradable bioplastic production has opened a new avenue for environmental sustainability from the circular (bio)economy standpoint. Biodegradable bioplastic production can contribute to the sustainability pillars (environmental, economic, and social). Furthermore, bioenergy, biomass, and biopolymers production after recycling of biodegradable bioplastic can help to maintain the energy-environment balance. Several types of biodegradable bioplastic, such as starch-based, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polylactic acid, and polybutylene adipate terephthalate, can achieve this aim. In this review, an overview of the main biowastes valorization routes and the main biodegradable bioplastic types of production, application, and biodegradability are discussed to achieve the transition to the circular economy. Additionally, end-of-life scenarios (up-cycle and down-cycle) are reviewed to attain the maximum environmental, social, and economic benefit from biodegradable bioplastic products under biorefinery concept.