A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics
Microplastics (MPs) have recently been discovered as considerable pollutants of all environmental matrices. They can contain a blend of chemicals, some of them added during the manufacture of plastic to improve their quality (additives) and others adsorbed from the surrounding environment. In light...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/8/4/100 |
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| author | Claudia Campanale Georg Dierkes Carmine Massarelli Giuseppe Bagnuolo Vito Felice Uricchio |
| author_facet | Claudia Campanale Georg Dierkes Carmine Massarelli Giuseppe Bagnuolo Vito Felice Uricchio |
| author_sort | Claudia Campanale |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microplastics (MPs) have recently been discovered as considerable pollutants of all environmental matrices. They can contain a blend of chemicals, some of them added during the manufacture of plastic to improve their quality (additives) and others adsorbed from the surrounding environment. In light of this, a detailed study about the identification and quantification of target organic pollutants and qualitative screening of non-target compounds present on MPs was carried out in different types of samples: environmental MPs, collected from an Italian river, and pre-production MPs, taken from the plastic industry. Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were chosen as target compounds to be quantified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS), while the non-target screening was carried out by High Resolution Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HRGC–MS). The target analysis revealed concentrations of 16 priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-PAHs) in the range of 29.9–269.1 ng/g; the quantification of 31 PCBs showed values from 0.54 to 15.3 ng/g, identifying CB-138, 153, 180, 52, and 101 primarily; and the detected OCPs (p,p’-DDT and its metabolites) ranged between 14.5 and 63.7 ng/g. The non-target screening tentatively identified 246 compounds (e.g., phthalates, antioxidants, UV-stabilizers), including endocrine disruptors, toxic and reprotoxic substances, as well as chemicals subjected to risk assessment and authorisation. The large assortment of plastic chemicals associated with MPs showed their role as a presumable source of pollutants, some of which might have high bioaccumulation potential, persistence, and toxicity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:00:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f367af8b2a104ce28bc7eea8436ba888 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:00:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-f367af8b2a104ce28bc7eea8436ba8882023-11-20T20:16:52ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042020-11-018410010.3390/toxics8040100A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production MicroplasticsClaudia Campanale0Georg Dierkes1Carmine Massarelli2Giuseppe Bagnuolo3Vito Felice Uricchio4National Research Council, Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), 70125 Bari, ItalyGerman Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), 56068 Koblenz, GermanyNational Research Council, Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), 70125 Bari, ItalyNational Research Council, Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), 70125 Bari, ItalyNational Research Council, Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), 70125 Bari, ItalyMicroplastics (MPs) have recently been discovered as considerable pollutants of all environmental matrices. They can contain a blend of chemicals, some of them added during the manufacture of plastic to improve their quality (additives) and others adsorbed from the surrounding environment. In light of this, a detailed study about the identification and quantification of target organic pollutants and qualitative screening of non-target compounds present on MPs was carried out in different types of samples: environmental MPs, collected from an Italian river, and pre-production MPs, taken from the plastic industry. Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were chosen as target compounds to be quantified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS), while the non-target screening was carried out by High Resolution Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HRGC–MS). The target analysis revealed concentrations of 16 priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA-PAHs) in the range of 29.9–269.1 ng/g; the quantification of 31 PCBs showed values from 0.54 to 15.3 ng/g, identifying CB-138, 153, 180, 52, and 101 primarily; and the detected OCPs (p,p’-DDT and its metabolites) ranged between 14.5 and 63.7 ng/g. The non-target screening tentatively identified 246 compounds (e.g., phthalates, antioxidants, UV-stabilizers), including endocrine disruptors, toxic and reprotoxic substances, as well as chemicals subjected to risk assessment and authorisation. The large assortment of plastic chemicals associated with MPs showed their role as a presumable source of pollutants, some of which might have high bioaccumulation potential, persistence, and toxicity.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/8/4/100PCBPAHDDTnon-target screeningOfanto River |
| spellingShingle | Claudia Campanale Georg Dierkes Carmine Massarelli Giuseppe Bagnuolo Vito Felice Uricchio A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics Toxics PCB PAH DDT non-target screening Ofanto River |
| title | A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics |
| title_full | A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics |
| title_fullStr | A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics |
| title_short | A Relevant Screening of Organic Contaminants Present on Freshwater and Pre-Production Microplastics |
| title_sort | relevant screening of organic contaminants present on freshwater and pre production microplastics |
| topic | PCB PAH DDT non-target screening Ofanto River |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/8/4/100 |
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