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Micro- and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Effects on Animal Health...
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Micro- and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Effects on Animal Health and Human Food Safety

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2021) | Viewed by 14154

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luís Gabriel Antão Barboza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CIIMAR — Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
2. ICBAS — Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Abel Salazar, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
Interests: ecotoxicology; plastic and microplastic pollution; emerging contaminants; effects of multiple stressors on wild coastal and estuarine populations; polluted environments and climate change; ecosystem health
Dr. Luis R. Vieira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
2. Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: risk assessment; science communication and policy; climate change; contaminants of emerging concern; personal care products; flame retardants; microplastics; caffeine

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

A world without plastics seems unimaginable today. However, at the same time that plastics make people’s lives easier, they also pose a threat to many forms of wildlife. For this reason, plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. Among plastic debris, micro- and nanoplastic particles have become a global environmental concern in marine and freshwater ecosystems and a potential risk to animal and human populations. Despite studies conducted in recent years, the effects of micro- and nanoplastics on animal, ecosystem, and human health are still far from being completely understood.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the latest research on micro- and nanoplastics, including but not limited to the following topics: i) short- and long-term effects of micro- and nanoplastics on aquatic organisms; ii) the impact of ingested micro- and nanoplastics, leached plastic additives, and adsorbed pollutants on biota; iii) the potential for biomagnification of micro- and nanoplastic-associated chemicals; iv) the toxicological interactions between micro- and nanoplastics and other environmental stressors; v) the assessment of the levels of microplastics and associated contaminants in wild populations (including commercial species) and the effects of these particles on human food safety and security.

Dr. Luís Gabriel Antão Barboza
Dr. Luis R. Vieira
Guest Editors

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. Animals 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 2400 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

  • microplastics
  • nanoplastics
  • ecotoxicological effects
  • seafood safety

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 858 KiB  
Article
Occurrence of Microplastics in Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) and Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) from German Waters
by Carolin Philipp, Bianca Unger and Ursula Siebert
Animals 2022, 12(5), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12050551 - 23 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3119
Abstract
The level of knowledge on microplastic exposure in marine mammals is limited by the access to dead and alive individuals. Focusing on the Northeast Atlantic area, some studies already confirmed the microplastic presence in free-ranging marine mammals, such as harbour porpoises or harbour [...] Read more.
The level of knowledge on microplastic exposure in marine mammals is limited by the access to dead and alive individuals. Focusing on the Northeast Atlantic area, some studies already confirmed the microplastic presence in free-ranging marine mammals, such as harbour porpoises or harbour seals inhabiting the North Sea (NS). In contrast, knowledge on the exposure to grey seals and particularly on specimen inhabiting the Baltic Sea (BS) are scarce. This study examined 63 gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) of harbour seals and grey seals originating from German waters (NS and BS) found between 2014 and 2019. Besides the documentation of microplastic findings, this study is dealing with life history and health parameters, attempting to identify correlations with microplastic presence. This study confirmed beside the presence, the egestion of microplastics (>100 µm; MPs) in the examined seals, without correlations in parasite infestations or inflammation responses. 540 suspected MPs were identified in 62 intestinal samples (42% fibres, 58% fragments), and 228 MPs in seven stomachs (28% fibres, 72% fragments). In accordance, first evidence of the retainment of fragments in the GIT were given. However, no significant difference in MP occurrence was indicated for different sex or age groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro- and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Effects on Animal Health and Human Food Safety)
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13 pages, 1409 KiB  
Article
Virgin Polystyrene Microparticles Exposure Leads to Changes in Gills DNA and Physical Condition in the Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus Galloprovincialis
by Paula Masiá, Alba Ardura and Eva García-Vázquez
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2317; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082317 - 5 Aug 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4385
Abstract
The ever-growing concentration of microplastics in the marine environment is leading to a plethora of questions regarding marine organisms’ present and future health status. In this article, the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), a commercial species distributed worldwide, has been exposed to [...] Read more.
The ever-growing concentration of microplastics in the marine environment is leading to a plethora of questions regarding marine organisms’ present and future health status. In this article, the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), a commercial species distributed worldwide, has been exposed to 21 daily doses of polystyrene microparticles (10 µm) at four different concentrations that are environmentally realistic (control: no microplastics, C1: 0.02 mg/L, C2: 0.2 mg/L, and C3: 2 mg/L). The physical status through the condition index, and damages in DNA integrity in gills, through DNA fragmentation, were determined. Results showed a minor effect on DNA integrity but a worse physical status at higher doses. Results could be interpreted as a decrease in mussel feeding activity/filtration rates when exposed to high microplastic concentrations, thus reducing the direct exposure to microplastics in gills. These effects could be happening currently and/or may happen in the near future, threatening populations inhabiting microplastics-polluted environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro- and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Effects on Animal Health and Human Food Safety)
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18 pages, 391 KiB  
Perspective
Micro-Nano Plastic in the Aquatic Environment: Methodological Problems and Challenges
by Saif Uddin, Scott W. Fowler, Nazima Habibi and Montaha Behbehani
Animals 2022, 12(3), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030297 - 25 Jan 2022
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5332
Abstract
Microplastic research has become a buzz word. It is seen as one of the most pressing issues of Anthropocene contamination. There is certainly no doubt about the ubiquitous presence of microplastic (MP) in almost all environmental matrices. However, the validity of considering them [...] Read more.
Microplastic research has become a buzz word. It is seen as one of the most pressing issues of Anthropocene contamination. There is certainly no doubt about the ubiquitous presence of microplastic (MP) in almost all environmental matrices. However, the validity of considering them as a vector for contaminants needs some reconsideration, there are other more potent pathways. Their effect on marine biota also calls for some realistic experiments with environmental concentrations of MP and nanoplastic (NP). It has been observed that in most published literature, polymer characterization is performed. Is it necessary to do, or will merely finding and confirming the particle as plastic suffice for environmental research? Harmonization of protocols is necessary, and there is likely a need for some inter-laboratory comparison exercises in order to produce comparable data and reliable assessments across regions. Samples collected from the same area using different techniques show an order of magnitude difference in MP concentration. The issue of nanoplastic is more contentious; are we technologically ready to identify NP in environmental samples? Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro- and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Effects on Animal Health and Human Food Safety)
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