Abstract
Environmental microplastics are gaining interest due to their ubiquity and the threat they pose to environmental and human health. Critical studies have revealed the abundance of microplastics in nature, while others have tested the impacts of these small plastics on organismal health in the laboratory. Yet, there is often a mismatch between these two areas of research, resulting in major discrepancies and an inability to interpret certain findings. Here, we focus on several main lines of inquiry. First, even though the majority of environmental microplastics are plastic microfibers from textiles, laboratory studies still largely use spherical microbeads. There are also inconsistencies between the measurements of microplastics in the environment as compared to the concentrations that tend to be used in experimental studies. Likewise, the period of exposure occurring in experimental studies and in the environment are vastly different. Lastly, although experimental studies often focus on a particular subset of toxic chemicals present on microplastics, textile microfibers carry other dyes and chemicals that are understudied. They also cause types of physical damage not associated with microspheres. This review will analyze the literature pertaining to these mismatches, focusing on aquatic organisms and model systems, and seek to inform a path forward for this burgeoning area of research.
Highlights
First it is necessary to recognize that there will be concentrations that persist over prolonged periods, and more transient concentrations (MPs that move through the body)
As we have shown here that MPs do become embedded in cells and tissues, it is necessary to factor timing into an experiment in order to properly mimic the in vivo dynamics
Numerous studies in aquatic organisms, mammalian model systems, and human cell lines have indicated that MPs pose a threat to biodiversity and human health
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Chironomus riparius, were exposed to PET MFs, and effects including survival, time till emergence, growth, head capsule length, and general stress response, were examined in 28-day sediment chronic toxicity tests [9]. In a 28-day feeding experiment, Blarer and Burkhart-Holm (2016) studied effects of fibers and spheres on the feeding rate, assimilation efficiency and change in wet weight of the amphipod Gammarus fossarum [13] While both types were ingested and egested, only the fibers impaired the health of the animals. Mortality was not observed in any of the exposures, and survival following the bacterial challenge was similar among shrimp exposed to particle-free water, sediment, polypropylene fragments, polyethylene spheres, tire fragments, and polyester fibers. The grass shrimp cleared most of the ingested particles and all of the ventilated particles within 48 h
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