Figure
Behavioral variables from Noldus ethovision software used in this study to analyze Mysid shrimp (A. bahia) larvae and Silverside (M. beryllina) larvae behavioral response.
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Increasing shares of microfibers are being detected in environmental samples and a closer look to identify the risk associated with them using ecologically relevant endpoints, especially at sensitive early life stages, is needed. To assess exposure hazards, we used rope samples representative of fiber types ubiquitous in coastal systems, where micr...
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Context 1
... resolution was set at 1280 x 960, light cycles were programmed at 10,000 lux, and the frame rate was set at 25/s. A total of eight variables were analyzed in this study, the p values and other statistics for which are included in Table 1. Following behavioral analysis, organisms were euthanized humanely, Silversides per IACUC protocol #0035, and fixed in paraformaldehyde (PFA) to preserve tissues for examination of microfibers internalization. ...Context 2
... the case of the cotton treatment, out of eight mysid behavioral activities (Table 1), only 20% of behavioral variables were affected in a concentration dependent manner in at least one salinity (Figures 3, S4A). In contrast, 90% of behavioral variables measured in mysids exposed to polyester were affected in a concentration dependent manner at least at one salinity ( Figure S4B). ...Citations
... 15 As the abundance of microfibres in the environment will continue to rise, there is increased risk of negative impact on the growth and behaviour of aquatic life, from foraging and feeding practices to organism fitness levels. 16,17 High concentrations and toxicity will influence key biological functions, chronic effects over prolonged exposure periods, as well as the interactive effects with other environmental factors. ...
The majority of garments are made from textile fibres. These fibres are lost from garments during their lifetime. Textile fibres in an environmental context are often referred to as microfibres. Microfibres are one of the most abundant anthropogenic particle types in the environment, and may represent a serious hazard to environmental and human health. Indeed, the presence of microfibres has been documented in many types of ecosystems, including terrestrial soils, indoor and outdoor air, ice and snow, as well as in marine and freshwater environments.1 The materials of these fibres vary considerably, and the impacts of these different materials are not well understood. Whilst there is widespread concern about the impacts of plastic textile fibres, our work shows that natural textile fibres are more prevalent in the environment, and their environmental impacts have the potential to be greater than plastic fibres.
... Several studies have shown that waterborne and foodborne exposure to MFs can lead to neurotoxicity and behavioral abnormalities in aquatic organisms (Hasegawa and Nakaoka, 2021;Murray and Cowie, 2011). For example, MFs can affect behavioral responses, growth, and feeding in Menidia beryllina and Americamysis bahia (Siddiqui et al., 2023). Liang et al. (2023) recently discovered that 1000 items/L MF exposure aggravated goldfish (Carassius auratus) coughing behavior. ...
Fibrous microplastics are abundant in water, and the additives on fibers could also be transported jointly, which is a combined pollution scenario prevalent in the environment. Organisms ingest microplastics directly from the environment or indirectly through trophic transfer. However, there is a dearth of available information on the uptake and effects of fibers and their additives. This study investigated the uptake and depuration of polyester microplastic fibers (MFs, 3600 items/L) by adult female zebrafish via waterborne and foodborne exposure routes and the effects on the fish behavior. Moreover, we used brominated flame-retardant tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate (TBC, 5 μg/L) as a representative plastic additive compound and explored MFs' effects on the accumulation of TBC in zebrafish. Results substantiated that the highest MF concentrations in zebrafish from waterborne exposure (12.00 ± 4.59 items/tissue) were approximately three times higher than foodborne exposure, suggesting waterborne exposure as the primary ingestion route. In addition, environmentally relevant MF concentrations did not affect TBC bioaccumulation via aqueous exposure. However, MFs could decrease TBC accumulation via foodborne exposure by ingesting contaminated D. magna, which was probably because MF co-exposure decreased the TBC burden in daphnids. MF exposure also considerably increased behavioral hyperactivity in zebrafish. Moved speed, travelled distance, and active swimming duration all increased when exposed to MFs-containing groups. This phenomenon remained apparent in the foodborne exposure experiment with a low MF concentration (0.67-6.33 items/tissue) in zebrafish. This study offers a deeper understanding of MF uptake and excretion in zebrafish and the accumulation of the co-existing pollutant. We also confirmed that waterborne and foodborne exposure may lead to abnormal fish behavior even at low in vivo MF burdens.
Plastics are persistent and pervasive throughout the environment and have now been reported from the deepest parts of the ocean to the tops of the highest and most remote mountains. There is a body of information on the sources, degradation, and transport of plastics as well as a variety of research investigating the ecotoxicological and wider ecological consequences of plastic ingestion and accumulation. Such knowledge has been obtained with developments in field and laboratory methods for plastic identification and then well-publicized in the media and wider public communications. However, although there has been a large focus on plastic pollution within the past decade, there is plenty that we do not yet know. Even within the past five years, sources of microplastics (1 μm–5 mm) to the environment have been confirmed that had not previously been considered, for example, road paints and tire wear particles. Initial research focused on plastic in the marine environment, but understanding on the accumulation and impacts in terrestrial and freshwater environments is growing. There is a substantial lack of basic science focused on the efficiency of solutions aimed at mitigating plastic pollution. This review highlights some recent (past five years) research on plastics in the environment, including investigations in accumulation, sources, distribution, impacts, solutions and provides directions for future work.
Microfibers released from textile materials are receiving greater attention due to their severe adverse effects on the environment. Although mitigation strategies have been developed for laundering, researchers uphold that it is crucial to start mitigating at the source. In that aspect, this research aims to analyze the cutting and sewing methods of knitted fabrics and their impact on the microfiber release of garments during laundry. The results of the study have confirmed that cutting and sewing methods have a significant impact on the microfiber release of a garment. The analysis of different cutting methods showed that laser and ultrasonic cutting methods reduce the microfiber release up to 20 times compared to the conventional scissor-cut edges. While comparing the different stitch types, the overlock stitch type showed reduced shedding than the other stitch types (flatlock stitch and single needle lockstitch). Our results showed that the use of more needles increases the microfiber emission among different stitch variations of the same stitch type. For instance, a 45.27 % increase in microfiber emission was reported with the 4-thread overlock stitch (2 needles) than with the 3-thread stitch (1 needle). Regarding seam type, the proposed edge finishing seam (EFb) was effective in reducing 93 % of microfiber release as the edges are completely covered. When the effect of stitch density is considered, in the case of single needle lockstitch and flatlock stitch, the microfiber release is reduced with increased stitch density. However, a different trend was noted in overlock, which needed detailed exploration in the future. The results confirmed that a proper selection of stitch, stitch density, and seam type would reduce the microfiber release from a garment by up to 64.6 %.
