ECOTOXICOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF MICROPLASTICS ON MARINE ORGANISMS

Andy Booth

SINTEF Environmental Technology, Norway

Materials and Chemistry 2

Primary microplastics (MPs)

Micro-size (< 5 mm) plastic particles/beads

for consumer products

Secondary MPs

Large plastic items not degradable, but

fragment over time.

Micro-fragments of standard plastic litter (e.g.

bottles, fishing-nets, bags or textiles)

Materials and Chemistry 3

MPs found in all

marine habitats

Uptake of MPs by

various marine biota.

MPs entering marine

food webs

May pass to larger

organisms ending up

in human food.

Materials and Chemistry 4

Microplastic contamination

Wide range of marine species from most trophic levels Sediment & water column species

Materials and Chemistry

Evidence of sublethal impacts……..

5

……..but relatively limited studies

Daphnia magna

Lytechinus variegatus

Pomatoschistus micropsArenicola marina

Centropages typicus

Materials and Chemistry

Impact studies relevant to the (sea)food industry

6

Limited studies - Mostly shellfish

Sediment

OystersMussels

Water Column

Ingestion studied in commercial fish species

Whiting Indian mackerel

Pacific anchovy Thickback sole Boops boops

European hake

Egestion? Impacts?

Materials and Chemistry 7

Selected knowledge gaps

Effects of MPs on aquatic species at different life

stages (including food species)

Evidence for MP impacts to populations,

communities and ecosystems

MP uptake, internalisation and potential for

transfer to larger species

Materials and Chemistry 8

JPIO Microplastics Projects

Materials and Chemistry

Direct and indirect ecotoxicological impacts of

microplastics on marine organisms

The PLASTOX project will investigate the ingestion, food-

web transfer, and ecotoxicological impact of MPs together

with the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), metals and

plastic additive chemicals associated with them, on key

European marine species and ecosystems.

Total budget = 3.5 m€

Total JPI Oceans funding = 2.0 m€

Coordinator: Andy Booth (andy.booth@sintef.no)

Materials and Chemistry 10

Microplastics Pilot Action

Focus METHODS MONITORING EFFECTS

Goals Assure quality of current

assessment methods

Develop robust, cost-effective

methods

Generate comparable and

validated MP data

Explore risks associated with

MPs in marine environment

Assess potential for MPs to

enter human food chain

Examine MP uptake &

transfer between species

Materials and Chemistry

Materials and Chemistry

Objectives

• Characterise and quantify microplastic uptake, accumulation and excretion at the cell, fluid,

tissue and organism levels.

Objectives

• Characterise and quantify microplastic uptake, accumulation and excretion at the cell, fluid,

tissue and organism levels.

• Determine acute and a broad range of sublethal ecotoxicological effects and modes of action

of microplastic exposure on key marine species.

Objectives

• Characterise and quantify microplastic uptake, accumulation and excretion at the cell, fluid,

tissue and organism levels.

• Determine acute and a broad range of sublethal ecotoxicological effects and modes of action

of microplastic exposure on key marine species.

• Quantify the adsorption of toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals to

microplastics and the desorption of plastic additive compounds.

Objectives

• Characterise and quantify microplastic uptake, accumulation and excretion at the cell, fluid,

tissue and organism levels.

• Determine acute and a broad range of sublethal ecotoxicological effects and modes of action

of microplastic exposure on key marine species.

• Quantify the adsorption of toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals to

microplastics and the desorption of plastic additive compounds.

• Assess the role of POP and metal adsorption/desorption on MP ecotoxicity.

Objectives

• Characterise and quantify microplastic uptake, accumulation and excretion at the cell, fluid,

tissue and organism levels.

• Determine acute and a broad range of sublethal ecotoxicological effects and modes of action

of microplastic exposure on key marine species.

• Quantify the adsorption of toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals to

microplastics and the desorption of plastic additive compounds.

• Assess the role of POP and metal adsorption/desorption on MP ecotoxicity.

• Follow the trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics in the marine food web and

identify subsequent potential for impacts.

Objectives

• Characterise and quantify microplastic uptake, accumulation and excretion at the cell, fluid,

tissue and organism levels.

• Determine acute and a broad range of sublethal ecotoxicological effects and modes of action

of microplastic exposure on key marine species.

• Quantify the adsorption of toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals to

microplastics and the desorption of plastic additive compounds.

• Assess the role of POP and metal adsorption/desorption on MP ecotoxicity.

• Follow the trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics in the marine food web and

identify subsequent potential for impacts.

• Use current knowledge from nanoparticle ecotoxicity research to influence experimental

design and to evaluate data generated.

Introduction/Overview

12

Materials and Chemistry

Project plan

13

MICROPLASTICS

POP

ADSORPTION

ADDITIVE

DESORPTION

UPTAKE &

EXCRETIONECOTOXICITY

TROPHIC

TRANSFER

Materials and Chemistry

Project organization

14

Materials and Chemistry

Dissemination and Communication

15

“Marine debris, plastics

and microplastics”

“Marine Litter -

Europe’s answers to

a global challenge”

Materials and Chemistry

* Material melts and blocks the sieve (< 200 µm)

• Requires additional method development

Selection and generation of test materials

Marine-derived MPs generated by cryogenic milling (CARAT)

Sieve size Grinding Mass

1500 µm + > 100 gram

1000 µm + > 100 gram

250 µm +/- < 50 gram

200 µm +/- < 50 gram

120 µm* - < 5 gram

80 µm* - No results

Materials and Chemistry

OrganisationCountry

AffiliationRepresentative

Representative

PositionOther Affiliations

EU Marine Strategy

Framework Directive

Technical Group on Marine

Littering (MSFD TG ML)

EU/Germany Stefanie WernerCo-chair of the

EU TG ML

German Federal Environment Agency

(Umweltbundesamt) - Scientific officer

for the protection of the marine

environment

Swedish Environmental

Protection AgencySweden Linda Linderholm Scientific Adviser

Dutch Ministry for

Infrastructure and

Environment

Netherlands Lex Oosterbaan

Senior Advisor

Rijkswaterstaat

Sea & Delta

Member MSFD Technical Group

Marine Litter.

Co-lead OSPAR ICG Marine Litter.

Chairman OSPAR EIHA Committee.

IFREMER France Jacek TronczynskiSenior Research

Scientist MSFD.

Department of the

Environment, Community &

Local Government

Ireland Richard Cronin

Technical Policy

Adviser in the

Marine Unit

OSPAR ICG Marine Litter

EU TWG Marine Litter

Advisory Board

17

Materials and Chemistry

Advisory Board

18

• Participate in decision making at the start and throughout the

project.

• Help to guide decision making when milestones are reached and

ensuring project progress.

• Will have direct access to knowledge generated in the project which

can be used for legislative and regulative purposes.

Materials and Chemistry 19

Thanks to my partners in plastic!

Amy Lusher Chelsea Rochman

Materials and Chemistry

Team PLASTOX @ the KO Meeting in Hamburg

Thank you for

your attention!