The influence of exposure and physiology on microplastic ingestion by the freshwater fish Rutilus rutilus (roach) in
the River Thames, UK,

Environmental Pollution, Volume 236, May 2018, Pages 188-194, ISSN 0269-7491,

Abstract:
Microplastics are widespread throughout aquatic environments. However, there is currently insufficient understanding of the factors influencing ingestion of microplastics by organisms, especially higher predators
such as fish.

In this study we link ingestion of microplastics by the roach Rutilus rutilus, within the non-tidal part of the River Thames, toexposure and physiological factors.
Microplastics were found within the gut contents of roach from six out of seven sampling sites.
Of sampled fish, 33% contained at least one microplastic particle. The majority of particles were fibres (75%), with fragments and films also seen (22.7%and 2.3% respectively).
Polymers identified were polyethylene, polypropylene and polyester, in addition to a synthetic dye. The maximum number of ingested microplastic particles for individual fish was strongly correlated to exposure (based on distance from the source of the river).
Additionally, at a given exposure, the size of fish correlated with the actual quantity of microplastics in the gut. Larger
(mainly female) fish were more likely to ingest the maximum possible number of particles than smaller (mainly male) fish.
This study is the first to show microplastic ingestion within freshwater fish in the UK and provides valuable new evidence of the factors influencing ingestion that can be used to inform future studies on exposure and hazard of microplastics to fish.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117330713/pdfft?md5=28409989d93f6c1af344fb33104b1f93&pid=1-s2.0-S0269749117330713-main.pdf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1R74szRwtHpOIiP41-NoeXXD8kLq6Wcej

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.044.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117330713)

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Sorption behaviors of phenanthrene on the microplastics identified in a mariculture farm in Xiangshan Bay, southeastern China,

Science of The Total Environment,
Volumes 628–629,
2018,
Pages 1617-1626,
ISSN 0048-9697,

Abstract:

Recently, with the accumulation of evidence that microplastic can be ingested by a variety of marine organisms, microplastic sorption behaviors towards organic contaminants (OCs) have become the subject of more studies due to the concerns about the contaminant vector effect.
In this study, the priority microplastics identified in a mariculture farm in Xiangshan Bay, China, including polyethylene (PE) and nylon fibers (i.e., derived from new fishing ropes and nets), were examined for their
sorption behaviors. The results indicate that both plastic fibers show linear isotherms towards phenanthrene, a common target hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC), revealing the characteristics of a partitioning mechanism. The sorption capacity of PE fiber was found to be 1–2 orders of magnitude higher (evaluated by Freundlich parameter log KF) than that of nylon fiber, suggesting the importance of plastic surface functional groups (i.e., with or without hydrophilic groups). By comparing carbon normalized log KF with literature data, the organic affinity of PE fiber was found to be 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than that of vectors, such as carbonaceous geosorbents (CG), but was 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than that of marine sediments. Small size and rough surface tended to enhance the sorption of plastic fibers of phenanthrene. In addition, phenol (log KOW: 1.46), a low-hydrophobicity
compound, showed approximately 3 orders of magnitude lower sorption amounts onto both fibers compared to phenanthrene (log KOW: 4.46), indicating the selectivity of hydrophobicity. The results of this study demonstrate that the high abundance of plastic fibers distributed in mariculture farms could lead to a higher contaminant transfer effect than marine sediments, and their effects on cultured seafood (e.g., crab and fish) need further investigation.
Keywords: Marine debris; Plastic; Fiber; PAHs; Uptake; Seafood

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_-3VZFrGlVvqE3595xBJX_OXAc2WfhEh
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.146.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718305370)

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Evaluation of uptake and chronic toxicity of virgin polystyrene microbeads in freshwater zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Mollusca: Bivalvia),

Science of The Total Environment, Volumes 631–632, 1 August 2018, Pages 778-788, ISSN 0048-9697,

Abstract:

Microplastics (MPs), plastic debris smaller than 5 mm, are widely found in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, few studies regarding their hazardous effects on inland water organisms, have been conducted.
For this reason, the aim of our research was the evaluation of uptake and chronic toxicity of two mixtures (MIXs) of virgin polystyrene microbeads (PMs) of 10 μm and 1 μm in size (MIX 1, with 5 × 105 of 1 μm size
PMs/L and 5 × 105 of 10 μm size PMs/L, and MIX 2 with 2 × 106 of 1 μm size PMs/L and 2 × 106 of 10 μm size PMs/L) on freshwater zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Mollusca: Bivalvia) during 6 exposure days.

The PM uptake in the mussel body and hemolymph was assessed using confocal microscopy, while the chronic toxicity of PMs was evaluated on exposed mussels using a comprehensive battery of biomarkers of cellular
stress, oxidative damage and neuro- genotoxicity. Confocal microscopy analyses showed that MPs concentrated in the gut lumen of exposed mussels, absorbed and transferred firstly in the tissues and then in the hemolymph. The results revealed that PMs do not produce oxidative stress and genetic damage, with the exception of a significant modulation of catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities in mussels exposed to MIX 1. Regarding neurotoxicity, we observed only a significant increase of dopamine concentration in mussels exposed to both MIXs, suggesting a
possible implication of this neurotransmitter in an elimination process of accumulated PMs. This research represents a first study about the evaluation of virgin MP toxicity in zebra mussel and more research is warranted concerning the long term neurological effects of virgin MPs.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AndOjzImdaKg_VAnnO05yjGKuUUDKL3V

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.075.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718308295)

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