Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany.
University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, Faculty Life Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany.
Chemosphere. 2021 Sep;279:130480. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130480. Epub 2021 Apr 2.
The present work intended to investigate the fate of contaminant-loaded microplastics if ingested by benthic filter feeder Mytilus edulis under laboratory conditions. In the course of a 7-day experiment the mussels were exposed to PVC microplastics in a size range ≤40 μm, in doses of 2000 particles L (11.56 mg L). Particles were either virgin or loaded with one of four different nominal concentrations of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fluoranthene (500, 125, 31.25 and 7.8125 μg g). Verification of fluoranthene concentrations on the particles provided evidence of the high absorptive capacity of PVC for this PAH, indicating that comparable particles may serve as considerable accumulation sites for high concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants in the aquatic environment. Analysis of digestive gland tissues via polarised light microscopy revealed the occurrence of particles and particle aggregates within stomach and intestines of all mussels treated with microplastics, thus making the xenobiotic bioavailable. Results of contaminant analysis in mussel tissues via equilibrium sampling point to a considerable capability of microplastics for the accumulation of hydrophobic contaminants from the environment and their potential to act as vehicles for the transport of theses contaminants into organismal tissues.
本研究旨在探讨底栖滤食性贻贝（Mytilus edulis）在实验室条件下摄入负载污染物的微塑料后的命运。在为期 7 天的实验中，贻贝暴露于 ≤40 μm 粒径范围的 PVC 微塑料中，剂量为 2000 个颗粒/L（11.56 mg/L）。这些颗粒有两种状态：未负载污染物的原始颗粒或负载有四种不同浓度（500、125、31.25 和 7.8125 μg/g）芘的颗粒。验证颗粒上芘的浓度表明，PVC 对这种多环芳烃具有很高的吸附能力，这表明类似的颗粒可能成为水生环境中高浓度疏水性污染物的大量积累场所。通过偏光显微镜对消化腺组织进行分析，发现所有用微塑料处理的贻贝的胃和肠道中都存在颗粒和颗粒聚集体，从而使外源性物质具有生物可利用性。通过平衡采样点对贻贝组织中污染物的分析结果表明，微塑料具有从环境中积累疏水性污染物的能力，并可能成为这些污染物进入生物组织的载体。
