Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife
College
Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC College of Education
Department/Unit
Science Education
Document Type
Article
Source Title
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume
364
Issue
1526
First Page
2027
Last Page
2045
Publication Date
7-27-2009
Abstract
Plastics debris in themarine environment, including resin pellets, fragments and microscopic plastic fragments, contain organic contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides (2,2′-bis(p- chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane, hexachlorinated hexanes), polybrominated diphenylethers, alkylphenols and bisphenol A, at concentrations from sub ng g-1 to μg g-1. Some of these compounds are added during plastics manufacture, while others adsorb from the surrounding seawater. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants adsorbed on plastics showed distinct spatial variations reflecting global pollution patterns. Model calculations and experimental observations consistently show that polyethylene accumulates more organic contaminants than other plastics such as polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride. Both amathematical model using equilibrium partitioning and experimental data have demonstrated the transfer of contaminants from plastic to organisms. A feeding experiment indicated that PCBs could transfer from contaminated plastics to streaked shearwater chicks. Plasticizers, other plastics additives and constitutional monomers also present potential threats in terrestrial environments because they can leach fromwaste disposal sites into groundwater and/or surfacewaters. Leaching and degradation of plasticizers and polymers are complex phenomena dependent on environmental conditions in the landfill and the chemical properties of each additive. Bisphenol A concentrations in leachates from municipal waste disposal sites in tropical Asia ranged from sub μg l-1 to μg l-1 and were correlated with the level of economic development. © 2009 The Royal Society.
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Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1098/rstb.2008.0284
Recommended Citation
Teuten, E., Saquing, J., Knappe, D., Barlaz, M., Jonsson, S., Björn, A., Rowland, S., Thompson, R., Galloway, T., Yamashita, R., Ochi, D., Watanuki, Y., Moore, C., Viet, P., Tana, T. S., Prudente, M., Boonyatumanond, R., Zakaria, M., Akkhavong, K., Ogata, Y., Hirai, H., Iwasa, S., Mizukawa, K., Hagino, Y., Imamura, A., Saha, M., & Takada, H. (2009). Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364 (1526), 2027-2045. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0284
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