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Abstract Microplastics are defined as plastic fragments <5 mm, and they are found in the ocean where they can impact on the ecosystem. Once released in seawater, microplastics can be internalized by organisms due to their small size, moreover they can also leach out several additives used in plastic manufacturing, such as plasticizers, flame retardants, etc., resulting toxic for biota. The aim of this study was to test the toxicity of micronized PVC products with three different colors, upon Paracentrotus lividus embryos. In particular, we assessed the effects of micronized plastics and microplastic leachates. Results showed a decrease of larval length in plutei exposed to low concentrations of micronized plastics, and a block of larval development in sea urchin embryos exposed to the highest dose. Virgin PVC polymer did not result toxic on P. lividus embryos, while an evident toxic effect due to leached substances in the medium was observed. In particular, the exposure to leachates induced a development arrest immediately after fertilization or morphological alterations in plutei. Finally, PVC products with different colors showed different toxicity, probably due to a different content and/or combination of heavy metals present in coloring agents. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Effects of PVC commercial products with different colors were assessed on P. lividus. • Microplastics and their leachates resulted toxic on larval development at high dose. • Microplastics toxicity seems to be mainly due to the leached substances. • Different colors showed different toxicity. • PVC virgin didn't result toxic upon P. lividus embryos. PVC commercial products exerted toxicity upon sea urchin larvae development mainly due to leached substances in seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Planktonic sea-urchin larvae actively ingest polyethylene microplastics (MP) that accumulate in the larval stomach and can be distinguished from natural food using polarized light microscopy. MP filtering rates were similar to those of natural particles (microalgae) of the same size range; 0.30 to 0.35 mL min−1. However, the ingestion of MP did not increase the toxicity of a hydrophobic organic chemical, the 4‑ n ‑nonylphenol (NP), either in microalgae-fed or starved larvae. The 48 h EC 50 of NP was more than two fold higher in fed (158.8 to 190.9 μg L−1) compared to starved larvae (64.3 to 83.7 μg L−1), disregarding the presence and amount of MP, which did not significantly affect larval growth. Therefore, MP did not act as vectors of a hydrophobic chemical such as NP to these planktonic organisms. These results challenge the hypothetical role of MP as vectors of organic contaminants to marine food webs. Highlights • Sea-urchin pluteus actively ingest microplastic particles. • Ingested PE microplastics can be distinguished from algae using polarized light. • Microplastic filtration rate is lower than algal filtration rate. • Microplastics did not increase the toxicity of 4‑ n ‑NP to plankton larvae. • PE microplastics do not act as vectors of hydrophobic organics to plankton larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the environmental risk on coastal ecosystems posed by three phenolic compounds of special environmental and human health concern used in plastics and household products: bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan (TCS) and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP). These three chemicals are among the organic contaminants most frequently detected in wastewater. The most toxic compound tested was 4-NP, with 10% effective concentration at 11.1 μg L −1 for Isochrysis galbana , 110.5 μg L −1 for Mytilus galloprovincialis , 53.8 μg L −1 for Paracentrotus lividus , and 29.0 μg L −1 for Acartia clausi , followed by TCS (14.6 μg L −1 for I. galbana , 149.8 μg L −1 for M. galloprovincialis , 129.9 μg L −1 for P. lividus , and 64.8 μg L −1 for A. clausi ). For all species tested, BPA was the less toxic chemical, with toxicity thresholds ranging between 400 and 1200 μg L −1 except for A. clausi nauplii (186 μg L −1 ). The relatively narrow range of variation in toxicity considering the broad physiological differences among the biological models used point at non-selective mechanisms of toxicity for these aromatic organics. Microalgae, the main primary producers in pelagic ecosystems, showed particularly high susceptibility to the chemicals tested. When the toxicity thresholds experimentally obtained were compared to the maximum environmental concentrations reported in coastal waters, the risk quotients obtained correspond to very low or low risk for BPA and TCS, and from low to high for 4-NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, but little information is currently available on the dangers and risks to living organisms. In order to assess the ecotoxicity of environmental microplastics (MPs), samples were collected from the beaches of two islands in the Guadeloupe archipelago, Petit-Bourg (PB) located on the main island of Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante (MG) on the second island of the archipelago. These samples have a similar polymer composition with mainly polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). However, these two samples are very dissimilar with regard to their contamination profile and their toxicity. MPs from MG contain more lead, cadmium and organochlorine compounds while those from PB have higher levels of copper, zinc and hydrocarbons. The leachates of these two samples of MPs induced sublethal effects on the growth of sea urchins and on the pulsation frequency of jellyfish ephyrae but not on the development of zebrafish embryos. The toxic effects are much more marked for samples from the PB site than those from the MG site. This work demonstrates that MPs can contain high levels of potentially bioavailable toxic substances that may represent a significant ecotoxicological risk, particularly for the early life stages of aquatic animals. • Microplastics were collected on beaches from 2 islands in the Guadeloupe archipelago. • MPs collected have similar polymer composition but dissimilar chemical composition. • Leachates from both sites are toxic for sea urchin larvae and jellyfish ephyrae. • Toxicity levels differ between sites. • Toxicity differences may be attributed to differences in chemical impregnation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]