Abstract
The presence of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in marine environments is an important issue. These chemicals are able to affect marine organisms, particularly marine turtles, and to act as endocrine disrupters. In this paper, for the first time, a simple and reproducible analytical method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with gas chromatography—ion trap/mass spectrometry (GC-IT/MS) was developed for the extraction of phthalates from the blood of marine turtles. The extraction was obtained by using C18 phthalates-free as the stationary phase. In order to individuate the best working conditions for the extraction, the adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves were studied. The overall analytical methodology was validated in terms of limit of detection (LOD, 0.08–0.6 ng mL−1), limit of quantification (LOQ, 0.4–0.8 ng mL−1), and correlation coefficients (>0.9933). By using this procedure, percentage recoveries ranging from 89 to 103% were achieved. The precision parameters (intra-day and inter-day) were studied, and the obtained values were smaller than 12.5%. These data confirm the goodness of the proposed analytical methodology, which is applied to real samples.
Highlights
Marine environmental pollution by phthalic acid esters (PAEs) is a crucial topic, which is garnering global scientific attention
For the first time, this paper aims to set up a protocol for extracting and determining PAEs in the blood of marine turtles
The extracting protocol proposed by the authors would be optimal for a sensitive and reproducible analysis of PAEs in the blood of marine turtles
Summary
Marine environmental pollution by phthalic acid esters (PAEs) is a crucial topic, which is garnering global scientific attention. Finished plastic products contain 20–40% (w/w) PAEs [3]; as these compounds are not chemically bound to plastic polymer, but incorporated into it, they can leach from plastic and become widespread in the environment [4] In this way, they may affect marine organisms, acting as endocrine disrupters (EDCs), and competing with the synthesis of endogenous hormones [5,6]. The most abundant marine turtle species in the Mediterranean Sea is the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta, Linnaeus, 1758), which is affected by the anthropogenic plastic debris that reach the sea every year [11] This species feed on several prey species among invertebrates and vertebrates in both neritic and oceanic habitats, including those distributed along polluted coastal areas which can, in turn, ingest small plastic debris, accelerating the bioaccumulation of PAEs in marine turtles [12]. Ingestion of plastic particles occurs since they confuse plastic residues for typical dietary products, by accidental ingestion when consuming natural prey, or from the direct uptake of chemicals from the surrounding seawater [13]
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