Although irregularly-shaped label-free microplastics (MPs) are predominantly distributed in the environment, non-destructive analysis of environmentally relevant MPs in organisms is still challenging. The purpose of the study is to suggest in vivo visual evidence of the uptake and effect of environmentally relevant MPs in organism. Transparent irregularly-shaped high-density polyethylene was selected as an environmentally relevant model MP and exposed to brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicity of heavy metals in soil is primarily associated with their bioaccessibility and bioavailability in the soil media. However, in some exceptional cases, soil ecotoxicity has been observed despite high total metal concentrations and low extractable metal concentrations in contaminated field sites; therefore, other exposure pathways must be considered. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the soil-particle induced ecotoxicity in an old mining area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEven though boron is a widely used element in various industries and a contributor to water pollution worldwide, few studies have examined the toxicity of boron in aquatic plants. EDTA is used to maintain aquatic plants cultures, however it is possible to modify the toxicity of metals. The objective of this study is to assess the toxicity of boron in aquatic plants and explore the impact of EDTA presence on the resulting toxic responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe environmental persistence of microplastics (MPs) is ubiquitous and problematic. Despite an increase in research on the soil ecotoxicity of MPs, the response of springtails to MP pollution remains unexplored. We hypothesized that MPs promote the accumulation of negative soil fungal groups and cause multigenerational effects in springtails.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroplastic contamination is ubiquitous and can be transferred through the food chain to humans. However, studies on microplastic size have mainly focused on large animals with a body length >20 mm. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive review of 169 laboratory studies to determine the edible size of microplastics for macrofauna and flora in aquatic and soil biota.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSite-specific soil ecological risk assessment is important for protecting soil ecosystems because it reflects the environmental factors at the site to detect ecological risks and develop risk management measures. This study assessed the ecological risks from chemical pollutants in abandoned mine sites using the TRIAD approach, evaluating its overall applicability, including the tiered system of assessment. A site-specific soil ecological risk assessment was conducted for five abandoned mine sites (Sites 1-4 and R, the reference site); integrated risks (IRs) for each site were calculated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of facial masks has increased and is therefore being recognized as a large source of environmental microplastics. Herein, we naturally aged disposable masks in a lake for eight weeks and compared the toxicity of mask-derived microplastics depending on the aging process using zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish were exposed to virgin and aged mask fragments (VF and AF, respectively) for eight weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol
July 2023
The practice of reusing biosolids may be an effective strategy for addressing nutrient reuse and soil shortages. However, the accumulation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in biosolids poses a major ecological hazard to organisms. In this study, we evaluated the effects of AgNPs on plant and soil enzymes in terrestrial ecosystems by exposing soybean Glycine max, as well as soil, to varying concentrations of AgNPs embedded either on the surface soil layer or throughout the soil matrix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 2019 global coronavirus disease pandemic has led to an increase in the demand for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging. Although PET is one of the most recycled plastics, it is likely to enter the aquatic ecosystem. To date, the chronic effects of PET microplastics (MPs) on aquatic plants have not been fully understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study proposes a microplate assay for chemical toxicity evaluation using S. natans; this assay is a miniaturization of a culture dish assay from previous studies. The optimal initial frond number of S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the effects of nanoplastics on marine organisms via trophic transfer in the food chain. We designed a three-step food chain comprising microalga (Dunaliella salina), small crustaceans (Artemia franciscana), and fish (small yellow croakers; Larimichthys polyactis) and evaluated the effects of trophic transfer in marine organisms, as well as verified the possibility of nanoplastic transfer to humans via trophic transfer. Using amine-modified nanopolystyrene (nPS-NH) as a pollutant, we conducted both direct-exposure and trophic transfer experiments to determine how pollutants move through the food chain (D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComparative toxicological assessment studies on the effects of petroleum- and cellulose-based microfibers on aquatic plants are limited. Therefore, we evaluated the acute and 10-generational toxicological effects of two types of petroleum- and cellulose-based microfibers on the duckweed Lemna minor. Plant growth and photosynthesis parameters were monitored as bioindicators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a result of the efforts to introduce the principle of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) into animal testing, alternative in vitro skin corrosion test methods have been developed and standardized globally. However, alternative in vitro skin corrosion test methods have some limitations in terms of the use of humanely killed rats or commercial models and kits. The present study focused on the applicability of invertebrates as alternative in vivo skin models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol
July 2022
Microfibers are widespread environmental pollutants introduced to the soil environment because of the increasing use of plastic polymers. However, research on the soil ecotoxicity of microfibers is limited, especially when compared to research on their aquatic toxicity. This study investigated the effects of sub-chronic microfiber exposure on the earthworm Eisenia andrei.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcological risk assessment based on scientific data is crucial for understanding causal relationships between chemical pollution and environmental risks. Simultaneously, a balance is required between socioeconomic factors and scientific evidence. The TRIAD approach, which incorporates three lines of evidence (LoE)-chemical (Chem-LoE), ecotoxicological (Ecotox-LoE), and ecological (Eco-LoE)-was applied in five sites of an abandoned mine for site-specific soil ecological risk assessment (SERA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the trophic transfer of nanoplastics in marine food chains. We fed nanoplastic-exposed Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp) to Larimichthys polyactis (small yellow croaker) daily for eight days. Subsequently, the overall health condition, histopathological damage to the liver and digestive tract, and swimming ability of the fish were measured.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol
January 2022
Microfibers, as globally emerging environmental pollutants, have received increasing attention over recent years. In ecosystems, natural textile microfibers are the predominant fibers. The inadvertent ingestion of microplastics by organisms in an ecosystem provides a channel for microfibers to enter biological webs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBecause of the COVID-19 pandemic, used face masks have increasingly littered the environment and are causes for concern since they are commonly made of plastics such as polypropylene. Understanding production of microplastics from face masks is essential for predicting the post COVID-19 pandemic impact on the soil ecosystem. We investigated the generation of nanofibers from meltblown face mask filters (MB filters) and their adverse effects on soil species, particularly the earthworm and springtail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroplastics are ubiquitous environmental pollutants and a great threat to the aquatic environment. Due to their small size (ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm), microplastics be easily ingested by a wide range of organisms and can serve as a vector for various contaminants. In this study, additive or possible synergistic effects of microplastics and zinc were demonstrated through sex-specific alterations in behavior, redox status, and modulation of detoxification-related genes in Daphnia magna, with males being more sensitive than females with stronger modulations of antioxidant responses, particularly on glutathione S-transferases expressions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthylparaben is used as an antifungal preservative. Although some countries have implemented regulations for human exposure to parabens, environmental regulations for ethylparaben have not been established. This study provides new toxicological data for ethylparaben, for which data regarding soil organisms were previously lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobally, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent a third-generation photovoltaic technology that is being increasingly implemented and commercialized. However, the biological impacts of leachates from PSCs are poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the ecotoxicity of PSC leachates compared with that of commercial Si-based solar cell (SBSC) leachates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol
July 2021
Vitellogenin has been regarded as an acceptable indicator for evaluating the endocrine-disrupting property of chemicals using fish. However, the endocrine-disrupting property of chemicals has been rarely evaluated using soil species. This study aimed to find evidence that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (including the natural hormones estradiol and dihydrotestosterone) can affect the reproductive organs of earthworms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPb-based perovskite in solar cells is a source of PbI. The objective of this study was to characterize the embryonic toxicity of PbI, a potentially leachable chemical and hazardous material, for two fish species (zebrafish and Japanese medaka). A series of measurements were performed to assess mortality, abnormalities (deformities and other pathological changes), hatchability, and growth inhibition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrofibers (MFs) have recently become an increasingly prevalent pollutant in ecosystems and pose a direct threat to organisms and an indirect threat via adsorption of other pollutants. Here, we used Caenorhabditis elegans to study multigenerational effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MFs (diameter 17.4 μm) by observing the maternal generation (P0) to the seventh offspring generation (F7) with continuous MF exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite concerns about the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics in soils, there is a limited understanding of the reproductive toxicity of microplastics to soil organisms and the production of nanoplastics through biological fragmentation. We used the earthworm Eisenia andrei to investigate the generation of nanoplastics from polyethylene microplastics in soil ecosystems and to determine the negative effects of microplastic exposure on soil invertebrates. Earthworms were exposed to two different sizes of microplastic for 21 days, and various physiological features, including those pertaining to reproduction, were subsequently analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF