A new digestion approach for the extraction of microplastics from gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of the common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) from the western Mediterranean Sea.
J Hazard Mater
; 397: 122794, 2020 10 05.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32387826
ABSTRACT
Plastic ingestion is one of the main impacts of marine litter on organisms. The occurrence of microplastics (MPs < 5â¯mm) in the stomachs of Mediterranean species was already reported in several studies. In this context, the present study aims to develop a new approach of digestion for the identification of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of marine organisms. The new approach combines two digestion protocols, including potassium hydroxide (KOH) and nitric acid (HNO3), to remove most organic and inorganic materials. This digestion allows recording small MPs that are difficult to find via routinely stomach content analysis and also to minimize the overestimation of the phenomenon trough the control of airborne contamination. The new approach was tested on a voracious pelagic opportunistic predator, the common dolphinfish, a fishery resource exploited in several Mediterranean areas. The results showed that a large amount of ingested meso- and microplastics, such as fragments or sheets, was recorded in GITs (Fâ¯=â¯65.5 %). The FTIR analysis on litter samples allowed to identify polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene as dominant constituent polymers of microplastics. These results confirmed that our novel combined digestion protocol represents a reliable approach to detect MPs in opportunistic pelagic predators.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
2_ODS3
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poluentes Químicos da Água
/
Microplásticos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Hazard Mater
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article