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Effects of Micro- and Nano-Plastic Pollution on Marine Ecosystems and Human Health

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Oceans and Coastal Zones".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 16546

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jun Bo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
Interests: marine pollution; microplastics; climate change; (immuno)toxicology for aquatic organisms; risk assessment
Prof. Dr. Minghua Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems/College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Interests: marine ecotoxicology; mercury pollution; micro-/nanoplastics; multiple stressors; proteomics; transgenerational effects
Prof. Dr. Youji Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
Interests: ocean acidification; hypoxia; ecophysiology; mussel; ecotoxicology
Prof. Dr. Qiansheng Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
2. Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
Interests: microplastics; ecotoxicity; microbiota; risk assessment; data mining; toxicity mechanisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging environmental pollutants that pose a significant hazard to the marine ecosystem. MNPs may be ingested by a wide variety of marine species, including fish and shellfish, and thus elicit a number of negative effects on aquatic life. In addition, there is growing evidence that MNPs can be transported through the food chain, potentially threatening human health through seafood intake. As a result, this Special Issue focuses on, but is not limited to, the following topics: (1) the environmental behaviors (e.g., accumulation/distribution patterns, sources, and fates) and implications of MNPs in waters, sediments and biota from various marine ecosystems around the world; (2) the biological effects and mechanisms of MNPs alone and/or in combination with other anthropogenic pollutants or environmental stressors in marine organisms; (3) methodologies for determining MNP characteristics and risk assessment; (4) the risk assessment of MNPs for marine ecosystems and human health;  (5) the potential transfer of MNPs along the marine food web and their consequent effects on human health.

Both original research papers and critical reviews are welcome!

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jun Bo
Prof. Dr. Minghua Wang
Prof. Dr. Youji Wang
Prof. Dr. Qiansheng Huang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • micro- and nanoplastic
  • environmental behavior
  • biological effects
  • toxicity mechanisms
  • human health
  • risk assessment
  • polar regions
  • anthropogenic contaminants
  • food webs

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 6815 KiB  
Article
First Evidence of Microplastic Contamination in Antarctic Fish (Actinopterygii, Perciformes)
by Min Zhang, Shigang Liu, Jun Bo, Ronghui Zheng, Fukun Hong, Fulong Gao, Xing Miao, Hai Li and Chao Fang
Water 2022, 14(19), 3070; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193070 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3205
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution in Antarctica is a hot topic that has gained increasing attention in recent years. However, information regarding MP pollution in Antarctic fishes is currently very limited. The present study provides the first evidence of the occurrence and characteristics of MPs [...] Read more.
Microplastic (MP) pollution in Antarctica is a hot topic that has gained increasing attention in recent years. However, information regarding MP pollution in Antarctic fishes is currently very limited. The present study provides the first evidence of the occurrence and characteristics of MPs in species from five families of the order Perciformes, from the Amundsen Sea (AS) and Ross Sea (RS), Antarctica. MP abundances within the order Perciformes were at a medium level on a global scale, but were higher than those reported in other Antarctic organisms. The detection rate and abundance of MPs in the order Perciformes from the RS (50% and 1.286 items individual−1) were both higher than those from the AS (36% and 1.227 items individual−1). Moreover, the major composition and size of MPs were, respectively, polyacrylamide (PAM) and 100–200 μm in the RS, but rayon and 500–1000 μm in the AS. These differences may be attributed to the different onshore scientific research stations, wastewater treatment facilities, marine activities, ocean currents, and local gyres in the two sea areas. Among the five fish families, members of the Artedidraconidae ingested the smallest MPs and the highest proportion of PAM, which is probably associated with their habitat and degradation effect of unique gut microbiome. The higher hazard index of MPs in fish from the RS is due to the presence of PAM and epoxy resin, which may also have far-reaching health implications for other Antarctic organisms and humans through food web transmission. Overall, long-term monitoring of MP pollution in Antarctic fish and their surrounding marine environment is highly desirable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Micro- and Nano-Plastic Pollution on Marine Ecosystems and Human Health)
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14 pages, 403 KiB  
Article
Legislation and Policy on Pollution Prevention and the Control of Marine Microplastics
by Yingying Li
Water 2022, 14(18), 2790; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182790 - 8 Sep 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5114
Abstract
Marine microplastic pollution and plastic pollution are two different things but they are related. In the past 10 years, several countries and regions have issued a ban on microbeads. We analyze the above countries or regions according to three aspects: whether there is [...] Read more.
Marine microplastic pollution and plastic pollution are two different things but they are related. In the past 10 years, several countries and regions have issued a ban on microbeads. We analyze the above countries or regions according to three aspects: whether there is special legislation for marine microplastic pollution, the subject of the regulations, and the prevention and control measures. The common feature of the policy documents of these countries is that they target the ban of only microbeads and no other types of microplastics. Based on a comparative study, we found three dilemmas in the regulation of marine microplastic pollution. We conducted a comparative analysis of the legislation or policy documents of the above-mentioned countries and regions in order to identify how they solve the above difficulties. We summarized three legislative and policy regulation models and analyzed their respective advantages. Based on legal theories and empirical methods, some observations and suggestions are made regarding the regulation of primary and secondary microplastic pollution, especially in China’s situation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Micro- and Nano-Plastic Pollution on Marine Ecosystems and Human Health)
11 pages, 1870 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Impairs the Liver Health of Medaka
by Yinfeng Zhou, Li Zhao, Haijing Xu, Elvis Genbo Xu, Mingyou Li and Youji Wang
Water 2022, 14(17), 2767; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14172767 - 5 Sep 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3159
Abstract
Nanoplastic (NP) has become a global environmental concern due to its potentially wide distribution and unknown impacts on organisms. Many laboratory studies have reported the short-term toxicity of NPs but their long-term effects are unclear. Here, the chronic hepatoxic effects of NPs (diameter [...] Read more.
Nanoplastic (NP) has become a global environmental concern due to its potentially wide distribution and unknown impacts on organisms. Many laboratory studies have reported the short-term toxicity of NPs but their long-term effects are unclear. Here, the chronic hepatoxic effects of NPs (diameter 100 nm; 0, 10, and 104 items/L) in medaka (Oryzias latipes) were evaluated after three-month exposure by investigating the alterations in enzymatic biomarkers (digestion, oxidative status, and immunity) and histopathology in the liver. The trypsin and chymotrypsin activities of digestive enzymes were induced at a low concentration of NPs (10 items/L) but inhibited at high concentration (104 items/L); only the amylase activity was significantly decreased in all NP-treated medaka. Oxidative stress was also induced by NP exposure, which was indicated by the responsive superoxide dismutase and catalase. Lysozyme was significantly reduced after exposure to a high concentration of NPs, while alkaline phosphatase was significantly induced at a low concentration. Exposure to NPs also caused liver damage (e.g., congestion and dilated sinusoids). Taken together, our findings show that chronic exposure to NPs at low particle concentrations can impair the liver health of medaka by affecting liver enzymatic functions and causing histological damage. This implies potentially long-term threats of NPs to aquatic organisms, which call for more long-term aquatic toxicological studies on various species using low environmental concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Micro- and Nano-Plastic Pollution on Marine Ecosystems and Human Health)
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19 pages, 5281 KiB  
Article
Embryotoxicity of Polystyrene Microspheres of Different Sizes to the Marine Medaka Oryzias melastigma (McClelland, 1839)
by Jincan Chen, Chao Fang, Ronghui Zheng and Jun Bo
Water 2022, 14(12), 1831; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14121831 - 7 Jun 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3899
Abstract
Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) are potentially harmful to marine organisms, especially during the early developmental stages, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study evaluated the growth and morphological characteristics of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma (McClelland, 1839) embryos exposed to PS-MP. PS-MPs of [...] Read more.
Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) are potentially harmful to marine organisms, especially during the early developmental stages, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study evaluated the growth and morphological characteristics of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma (McClelland, 1839) embryos exposed to PS-MP. PS-MPs of three different sizes (0.05, 0.5, and 6.0 μm with a concentration of 106 particles/L) were subjected to waterborne exposure for 19 d. The hatching time and rate of embryos exposed to 0.5 and 6.0 μm PS-MPs were significantly lower than those of the control, while no significant difference was observed in the 0.05 μm treatment. No significant differences were observed in the mortality rate of the embryos, embryo diameter, and relevant gene expression levels, including il6, il8, il-1β, jak, stat-3, nf-κb, hif-1α, epo, cyp1a1, ahr, sod, cat, and gpx, but with the exception of vtg. Fluorescent PS-MPs were found on the embryo surfaces when the embryos were exposed to 0.5 and 6.0 μm PS-MPs, but no signals were detected inside embryos using confocal microscopy. Therefore, the results indicate that PS-MPs having a diameter of 6.0 μm can only attach to the surface or villus of embryos and not enter the embryos through the membrane pores, whereas PS-MPs with diameters of 0.05 and 0.5 μm cannot enter the embryos. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Micro- and Nano-Plastic Pollution on Marine Ecosystems and Human Health)
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