Interaction of Microplastics and Heavy Metals: Toxicity, Mechanisms, and Environmental Implications
With the wide use of plastic products in all aspects of life, more and more plastic ends up in the environment. Such plastic waste will gradually decompose, break up, and form smaller fragments through a series of physicochemical and biological processes.
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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Effects of Microplastics on Organisms 2.1 Individual Effects of Microplastics on Organisms 2.2 Combined Effects of Microplastics and Heavy Metals on Organisms 3 Potential Mechanism of Microplastics Toxicity 3.1 Uptake, Translocation, and Accumulation of Microplastics in Organisms 3.2 Molecular-Level Response 4 Environmental Implications and Future Prospective 4.1 Challenges About Toxicity Research Methodologies of Microplastics and Heavy Metals 4.2 Considerations for Assessing Ecological Risks of Microplastics and Heavy Metals 5 Summary References
Abstract With the wide use of plastic products in all aspects of life, more and more plastic ends up in the environment. Such plastic waste will gradually decompose, break up, and form smaller fragments through a series of physicochemical and biological processes. Among them, plastic fragments with particle size less than 5 mm are defined as microplastics (MPs). MPs have been reported to be widely distributed and to have the potential to adsorb other pollutants. Therefore, it is particularly important to evaluate the toxic effects of MPs in combination with other pollutants like metals. So far, studies on microplastic and metal toxicity have mainly focused on aquatic environments, while their impact on terrestrial ecosystems has been studied to a much lesser extent. In order to help our understanding of
X. Jiang and M. Li (*) State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China e-mail: [email protected] Defu He and Yongming Luo (eds.), Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments - Emerging Contaminants and Major Challenges, Hdb Env Chem, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_460, © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
X. Jiang and M. Li
the ecological risk of MP on soil ecosystems, this chapter reviewed the interaction of MPs and metals on soil organisms. Keywords Combined exposure, Metals, MPs, Soil ecosystem, Toxic effects
1 Introduction Microplastics can be divided into primary and secondary MPs. Primary MPs are plastic fragments or particles whose initial particle size is less than 5 mm when they are manufactured, mainly in textiles, drugs, and personal care products [1, 2]. The secondary MPs are plastic fragments shaped by environmental forces to a particle size less than 5 mm [3]. Up to now, most studies dealing with MPs and their toxicity have focused on the marine environment. Although freshwater and terrestrial environments have been considered the origin and transport route of plastics to the sea, there is still lack of research of MPs in these environments, especially in the soil environment. In recent years, it has been found that MPs are widely detected in the soil environment. Fuller and Gautam have investigated the concentrations of MPs in industrial soils in Sydney, Australia, and found that it varies greatly among different sites, with a minimum concentration of 300 mg/kg, and the highest concentration of 6.75 104 mg/kg [4]. Scheurer and Bigalke reported the MP abundance of
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