Interactive impacts of photoaged micro(nano)plastics and co-occurring chemicals in the environment

Junaid M 1 , Hamid N 2 , Liu S 3 , Abbas Z 4 , Imran M 5 , Haider MR 6 Show all authors , Wang B 6 , Chen G 7 , Khan HK 8 , Yue Q 9 , Xu N 3 , Wang J 10

Affiliations 

  • 1 Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510641, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
  • 2 Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Ocean Pollution and Ecotoxicology (OPEC) Research Group, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 3 Key Laboratory for Heavy Metal Pollution Control and Reutilization, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
  • 4 Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
  • 5 Department of Crop Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
  • 6 Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510641, China
  • 7 Institute of Eco-Environmental Research, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
  • 8 State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
  • 9 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
  • 10 Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510641, China. Electronic address: wangjun2016@scau.edu.cn
Sci Total Environ, 2024 Jun 01;927:172213.
PMID: 38580116 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172213

Abstract

In the environment, sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) radiation is considered to be the primary cause of plastic aging, leading to their fragmentation into particles, including micro(nano)plastics (MNPs). Photoaged MNPs possess diverse interactive properties and ecotoxicological implications substantially different from those of pristine plastic particles. This review aims to highlight the mechanisms and implications of UV-induced photoaging of MNPs, with an emphasis on various UV sources and their interactions with co-occurring organic and inorganic chemicals, as well as the associated ecological and health impacts and factors affecting those interactions. Compared to UV-B, UV-A and UV-C were more widely used in laboratory studies for MNP degradation. Photoaged MNPs act as vectors for the transportation of organic pollutants, organic matter, and inorganic chemicals in the environment. Literature showed that photoaged MNPs exhibit a higher sorption capacity for PPCPs, PAHs, PBDEs, pesticides, humic acid, fulvic acid, heavy metals, and metallic nanoparticles than pristine MNPs, potentially causing significant changes in associated ecological and health impacts. Combined exposure to photoaged MNPs and organic and inorganic pollutants significantly altered mortality rate, decreased growth rate, histological alterations, neurological impairments, reproductive toxicity, induced oxidative stress, thyroid disruption, hepatotoxicity, and genotoxicity in vivo, both in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Limited studies were reported in vitro and found decreased cellular growth and survival, induced oxidative stress, and compromised the permeability and integrity of the cell membrane. In addition, several environmental factors (temperature, organic matter, ionic strength, time, and pH), MNP properties (polymer types, sizes, surface area, shapes, colour, and concentration), and chemical properties (pollutant type, concentration, and physiochemical properties) can influence the photoaging of MNPs and associated impacts. Lastly, the research gaps and prospects of MNP photoaging and associated implications were also summarized. Future research should focus on the photoaging of MNPs under environmentally relevant conditions, exploiting the polydisperse characteristics of environmental plastics, to make this process more realistic for mitigating plastic pollution.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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