Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, 130014, Colombia; Analytical Chemistry and Biomedicine Group, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, San Pablo Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.
Analytical Chemistry and Biomedicine Group, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, San Pablo Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Feb;139:402-411. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.12.016. Epub 2019 Jan 15.
Microplastics are new pollutants considered a source of concern for the oceans worldwide. This research reports the concentrations of trace metals on microplastics collected on beaches from Cartagena, an industrialized city in the Caribbean. Mercury (Hg) was quantified using a Hg analyzer and forty-seven trace elements were assessed by ICP/MS. Most abundant microplastics in beaches were those with the lower degree of surface degradation features (SDF), categorized as white-new polyethylene pellets, followed by secondary microplastics (SM). Greater Hg levels were found in SM, white-degraded (WDP) and black pellets. Trace elements concentrations were linked to the degree of SDF registered in examined pellets, with larger concentrations in WDP. Compared to white-new pellets, Ba, Cr, Rb, Sr, Ce, Zr, Ni, Pb were the most accumulated elements in WDP, as their surface enhance the sorption processes. Microplastic pollution represents a toxicological hazard because its ability to accumulate and transport toxic elements.
微塑料是一种新型污染物，被认为是全球海洋关注的污染源。本研究报告了在加勒比海工业化城市卡塔赫纳海滩上收集的微塑料中痕量金属的浓度。使用汞分析仪定量测定汞 (Hg)，并通过 ICP/MS 评估了 47 种痕量元素。海滩上最丰富的微塑料是表面降解特征 (SDF) 程度较低的微塑料，主要为白色新聚乙烯颗粒，其次是次级微塑料 (SM)。SM、白色降解 (WDP) 和黑色颗粒中发现了更高水平的 Hg。痕量元素浓度与所检查颗粒中 SDF 的程度有关，WDP 的浓度更大。与白色新颗粒相比，WDP 中积累最多的元素是 Ba、Cr、Rb、Sr、Ce、Zr、Ni 和 Pb，因为它们的表面增强了吸附过程。微塑料污染代表了一种毒理学危害，因为它具有积累和运输有毒元素的能力。
