Global Centre for Environmental Remediation, The University of Newcastle, Australia.
Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Port Stephens, Australia.
Environ Int. 2018 Jun;115:400-409. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.007. Epub 2018 Apr 10.
Plastic litter has become one of the most serious threats to the marine environment. Over 690 marine species have been impacted by plastic debris with small plastic particles being observed in the digestive tract of organisms from different trophic levels. The physical and chemical properties of microplastics facilitate the sorption of contaminants to the particle surface, serving as a vector of contaminants to organisms following ingestion. Bioaccumulation factors for higher trophic organisms and impacts on wider marine food webs remain unknown. The main objectives of this review were to discuss the factors influencing microplastic ingestion; describe the biological impacts of associated chemical contaminants; highlight evidence for the trophic transfer of microplastics and contaminants within marine food webs and outline the future research priorities to address potential human health concerns. Controlled laboratory studies looking at the effects of microplastics and contaminants on model organisms employ nominal concentrations and consequently have little relevance to the real environment. Few studies have attempted to track the fate of microplastics and mixed contaminants through a complex marine food web using environmentally relevant concentrations to identify the real level of risk. To our knowledge, there has been no attempt to understand the transfer of microplastics and associated contaminants from seafood to humans and the implications for human health. Research is needed to determine bioaccumulation factors for popular seafood items in order to identify the potential impacts on human health.
塑料垃圾已成为海洋环境面临的最严重威胁之一。超过 690 种海洋物种受到塑料碎片的影响，在不同营养级别的生物的消化道中都观察到了小塑料颗粒。微塑料的物理和化学性质有利于污染物在颗粒表面的吸附，成为生物摄入后污染物的载体。对于更高营养级生物的生物累积因子以及对更广泛海洋食物网的影响仍不清楚。本综述的主要目的是讨论影响微塑料摄入的因素；描述相关化学污染物对生物的影响；强调海洋食物网中微塑料和污染物的营养转移证据，并概述未来的研究重点，以解决潜在的人类健康问题。研究微塑料和污染物对模式生物影响的受控实验室研究采用名义浓度，因此与真实环境相关性不大。很少有研究试图使用环境相关浓度来跟踪通过复杂海洋食物网的微塑料和混合污染物的命运，以确定真实的风险水平。据我们所知，尚未有人试图了解从海鲜到人类的微塑料和相关污染物的转移及其对人类健康的影响。需要研究确定流行海鲜的生物累积因子，以确定对人类健康的潜在影响。
