Soft plastic fishing lures as a potential source of chemical pollution - Chemical analyses, toxicological relevance, and anglers’ perspectives

Abstract

Soft plastic lures (SPLs) are commonly used artificial lures in recreational angling. Anglers regularly lose SPLs while fishing and there is little knowledge about the environmental impacts of lost SPLs. As with other plastic items, SPLs contain phthalates and other persistent additives that may leach into water. In this study, 16 randomly chosen SPLs of common models were analyzed for the leaching of persistent, water-soluble plastic additives, including phthalates. The estrogenicity of sample extracts from a subsample of 10 SPLs was assessed using luciferase reporter gene bioassays. Over a period of 61 days, 10 of the 16 SPLs leached the targeted phthalates dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) at median detectable concentrations ranging from 10 ng/g sample BBP to a median of 1001 ng/g DMP as well as 45 persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) plastic additives. DEP was detected most frequently in 8 SPLs, followed by BBP (2 SPLs), DMP (2 SPLs) and DnBP (1 SPL). The extract from one SPL with comparatively low phthalate and PMT plastic additive levels was active in the bioassay, indicating high endocrine-disruptive potential, presumably due to unknown additives that were not among the target substances of the methodology used in this study. The study was supplemented by a mail survey among anglers, in which attitudes of anglers towards SPLs were investigated. The survey indicated that SPL loss is a common event during angling. Most participants were concerned about potential ecological impacts of SPLs, wanted the ingredients of SPLs to be labelled and supported legal restrictions concerning toxic ingredients of SPLs. The study shows that SPLs are a potential source of environmental pollution, may pose human health risks and need further investigation, considering the frequent use of SPLs in recreational angling.