Degradation of micro-nano-sized polytetrafluoroethylene and acrylic fluorinated copolymer particles in the periwinkle digestive tract.

ABSTRACT

The aim of the work was to investigate the possible biodegradation of such stable plastics as fluorated acrylic copolymer Protacryl-M and polytetrafluoroethylene-teflon (PTFE)-that are widely applied in medicine for prosthetics in dentistry and orthopedics. Our tasks were as follows 1. To select a suitable marine biological object (multicellular invertebrate) 2. To develop a method for delivering microplastic particles (MP) of selected plastics to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of an experimental animal 3. To develop a technique for separating MP particles from animal feces 4. To develop a technology for multiple passages of MP particles through the gastrointestinal tract of an animal 5. To select methods and techniques for determining the degradation of the surface of MP particles after passing through the gastrointestinal tract of the animal The effect of a biological agent on the types of plastic above is considered using marine gastropods of the genus Littorina (in particular, the periwinkle L. brevicula) as a model organism widely distributed in the marine intertidal zone.