Cited by 186Microplastics and Plastic PollutionToxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Transfer of PCBs from Microplastics under Simulated Gut Fluid Conditions Is Biphasic and Reversible

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Mohamed Nor, Nur Hazimah, Koelmans, Albert A.·2019·Environmental Science & Technology

Abstract

The role of plastic as a vector for bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals is central to the risk assessment of microplastic for human health and the environment. However, transfer kinetics of sorbed contaminants from ingested microplastics are poorly understood. We develop and parametrize a chemical exchange model on microplastics in a gut fluid mimic of aquatic biota, and also included food to provide a better representation of contaminant dynamics when plastic and food are ingested, as would occur in nature. The transfer kinetics of 14 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in gut fluid mimic systems under three environmentally relevant exposure scenarios of plastic ingestion by organisms, for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and were evaluated with the model. Chemical transfer was demonstrated to be biphasic and fully reversible, with fast exchange within hours followed by a slow transfer lasting for weeks to months. In clean gut systems, the bioavailability of plastic-associated PCBs for lugworms and cod ranged from 14 to 42% and 45-83% respectively. However, in contaminated gut systems, clean microplastic was capable of rapidly extracting ("cleaning") PCBs from food inside the gut, thus demonstrating that the effect of microplastic is context dependent. Therefore, chemical contamination and cleaning are likely to occur simultaneously due to the ingestion of microplastic.

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Crossref · 10.1021/acs.est.8b05143

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79 of 79 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Authors
Mohamed Nor, N. H., & Koelmans, A. A.
Affiliations
  • Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
  • Wageningen University & Research (NL)
Venue
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2019-01-14
Volume
53
Issue
4
Pages
1874-1883
ISSN
  • 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-5851
OpenAlex
W2909085130
Cited by
186
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 1 · 2015: 1
FWCI
7.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Wageningen University and Research Centre
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
Keywords
polychlorinated biphenyls, microplastics, plastic ingestion, transfer kinetics, bioavailability, low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, lugworm, cod, food contamination, bioaccumulation
MeSH terms
Humans, Plastics, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Water Pollutants, Chemical

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