Laboratório de Manejo, Ecologia e Conservação Marinha, Instituto Oceanográfico, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2013 May 15;70(1-2):219-26. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.03.008. Epub 2013 Apr 11.
Plastic pellets have the ability to adsorb organic pollutants such as PAHs. This study analyzed the variability in the concentration and composition of PAHs on plastic pellets sampled up to 1m deep in the sediment of a sandy beach. The toxic potential of PAHs was analyzed, and the possible sources of contamination are discussed. The total PAHs varied, with the highest concentrations in the surface layer; the priority PAHs showed a different pattern. PAHs at greater depths did not reach toxicity levels above the PEL. The composition of PAHs differed between pellets from the shallower and from deeper sediment layers, and was suggested a mixture of sources. These results provided the first information on the depth distribution of PAHs in sandy beaches, associated with plastic pellets; and evidenced the potential environmental risk. Similarly to the abundance of pellets, the toxic potential is underestimated in surface samples.
塑料颗粒具有吸附多环芳烃（PAHs）等有机污染物的能力。本研究分析了在沙滩沉积物中采集的深度达 1 米的塑料颗粒上的 PAHs 浓度和组成的变化。分析了 PAHs 的毒性潜力，并讨论了可能的污染来源。多环芳烃的总量变化不定，表层浓度最高；优先多环芳烃呈现出不同的模式。较深位置的 PAHs 并未达到 PEL 以上的毒性水平。来自较浅和较深沉积物层的颗粒上的 PAHs 组成不同，表明存在多种来源。这些结果提供了有关与塑料颗粒相关的沙滩中 PAHs 的深度分布的第一手信息；并证明了潜在的环境风险。与颗粒的丰度相似，表面样本中的毒性潜力被低估了。
