Quantifying ecological risks of aquatic micro- and nanoplastic

Diverse effects of nano- and microplastic (NMP) have been demonstrated in the laboratory. We provide a broad review of current knowledge on occurrence, measurement, modeling approaches, fate, exposure, effects, and effect thresholds as regard to microplastics in the aquatic environment. Using this i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Critical reviews in environmental science and technology 2019-01, Vol.49 (1), p.32-80
Main Authors: Besseling, Ellen, Redondo-Hasselerharm, Paula, Foekema, Edwin M., Koelmans, Albert A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic environment
Aquatic organisms
Bioturbation
Confidence intervals
Data processing
Ecological effects
Ecological risk assessment
Environmental risk
Exposure
Microplastic
Microplastics
nanoplastic
Nanoplastics
Plastic debris
risk assesment
Risk assessment
Species sensitivity distributions
Surface water
Thresholds
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Diverse effects of nano- and microplastic (NMP) have been demonstrated in the laboratory. We provide a broad review of current knowledge on occurrence, measurement, modeling approaches, fate, exposure, effects, and effect thresholds as regard to microplastics in the aquatic environment. Using this information, we perform a 'proof of concept' risk assessment for NMP, accounting for the diversity of the material. New data is included showing how bioturbation affects exposure, and exposure is evaluated based on literature data and model analyses. We review exposure and effect data and provide a worst case risk characterization, by comparing HC 5 effect thresholds from 'all inclusive' Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) with the highest environmental concentrations reported. HC 5 values show wide confidence intervals yet suggest that sensitive aquatic organisms in near-shore surface waters might be at risk.
ISSN:1064-3389
1547-6537
DOI:10.1080/10643389.2018.1531688