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Extraction of Organochlorine Pesticides from Plastic Pellets and Plastic Type Analysis
Published on: July 1, 2017
Association of heavy metals with plastics used in aquaculture
Mohamed Mohsen1, Chenggang Lin2, Chen Tu3
1CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; CAS Engineering Laboratory for Marine Ranching, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China; Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Qingdao 266071, China; Fish Production department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
Abstract:
The association of heavy metals with plastics could represent a source of contamination, presenting acute metal exposure to ecosystems. Here, we aimed to evaluate the level of 20 metals on plastics employed in aquaculture areas and their surrounding water. All the selected metals were detected on six different polymers/types of plastics. Despite the difference in sampling sites, there was no significant difference among metal concentrations on plastics. However, some metals showed a significant difference in the surrounding seawater among sites or were not detected. Additionally, the median concentrations of all heavy metals were higher on plastic than in their surrounding water at all sites. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that metals accumulate on plastics in a similar pattern among sites but distinct from the surrounding water. This study contributes to understanding the accumulation of metals on plastics used in aquaculture areas.
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