Hideshige Takada

• Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

It is fundamental to understand the status of microplastic contamination in various sea turtle rookeries to assess the current and future effects of microplastics on sea turtles. The Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo, Japan, are the largest rookeries for green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Northwest Pacific and are remotely located 1,000 km from the Japan...

This study analyzed benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVSs), including UVP, UVPS, UV329, UV9, UV320, UV350, UV326, UV327, UV328, and UV234, in beached polypropylene (PP) pellets. First, the efficiency of soaking extraction in hexane was confirmed. This extraction method was then applied to 37 PP pellet samples (each sample basically consisted of 50 pe...

In this paper, literature from the last decade concerning the environmental levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Africa is reviewed. Although data to determine general trends of PCBs across African countries were insufficient, high levels were observed in environmental and biological samples from some urban and industrial areas near electr...

Biogas digestive effluent (BDE) has been applied to rice fields in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). However, limited information is available on the community composition and isolation of methanotrophs in these fields. Therefore, the present study aimed (i) to clarify the responses of the methanotrophic community in paddy fields fertilized with B...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major air pollutants that are ubiquitously produced by the combustion of organic materials, and it is extremely important to identify their pollution sources. In this study, molecular fingerprinting and compound class-specific radiocarbon dating (CCSRA) were performed on PAHs from canal sediments and air...

Benzotriazole-type ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVSs) are emerging contaminants whose exposure to wildlife is of concern. In this study, we investigated the contamination status of BUVSs in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) breeding at Ogasawara Islands, Japan, through chemical analysis of 10 BUVSs and 26 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in...

Biogas digestive effluent (BDE) is a nutrient-enriched source that can be utilized as an organic fertilizer for rice cultivation without synthetic fertilizer (SF) application. However, a primary concern is the stimulation of methane (CH4) emissions due to the enrichment of the labile organic carbon, a favorite substrate of methanogenic archaea. Met...

To explore the utility of artificial sweeteners (Acesulfame: ACE; sucralose: SUC; saccharin: SAC; cyclamate: CYC) as molecular markers and to establish a historical benchmark of the water pollution status in the 2010 decade, 272 surface water samples, including river water, sewage, and livestock wastewater, were collected from African (Ghana, Kenya...

The ever-increasing production, poor waste management, and persistent nature have caused plastic debris to become ubiquitous in the environment. Microplastics, usually defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm, have invaded our coasts, oceans, and seafood. Thus, there is a dire need to fully monitor and understand the global spatial distribution...

This article details a correction to: Landrigan PJ, Raps H, Cropper M, et al. The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Annals of Global Health. 2023; 89(1): 23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4056.

Background: Plastics have conveyed great benefits to humanity and made possible some of the most significant advances of modern civilization in fields as diverse as medicine, electronics, aerospace, construction, food packaging, and sports. It is now clear, however, that plastics are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the econo...

Plastic litter containing additives is potentially a major source of chemical contamination in remote areas. We investigated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and microplastics in crustaceans and sand from beaches with high and low litter volumes on remote islands that were relatively free of other anthropogenic contaminants. Significant numbe...

Marine organisms ingest microplastics directly from water and indirectly from food sources. Ingesting microplastics can lead to the accumulation of plastic-derived chemicals. However, the relative contributions of the two exposure routes to the accumulation of plastic-derived chemicals in organisms are unknown. Using microplastics containing two br...

Persistent organic chemicals are non-biodegradable in nature and have a tendency to bioaccumulate in the top organisms of the food chain. We measured persistent organic chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and benzotriazole-based ultraviolet stabilizers (UV-BTs), in the serum of captive king...

Three bivalves, Cyclina sinensis (n=6), Crassostrea gigas (n=7), and Mactra veneriformis (n=6), and three crustaceans, Hemigrapsus penicillatus (n=5), Macrophthalmus japonicus (n=5), and Pyrhila pisum (n=5), were collected at Haneda in June 2019. In July 2019, M. veneriformis (n=5) and M. japonicus (n=3) were collected at Kasai. Concentrations of 3...

Marine debris is present between the sea surface and the sea floor, but few studies have investigated plastic in water column. Therefore, we chose longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) as a sample, this study samples mesopelagic species that ingest marine debris in the water column. We conducted a survey of the stomach contents of longnose lancet...

Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVSs) are widely used as additives in various materials, including plastics, to prevent damage from UV-irradiation. However, despite the extensive usage of BUVSs, information on their toxicological properties is limited. In this study, we investigated the effect of BUVSs on the immune regulatory system via the aryl hy...

In this study, the major and trace element pollution from plastics was evaluated by comparing the elemental concen- trations in Atactodea striata (Gmelin, 1791) collected from Nama Beach with a lot of plastic litter and Kataburu Beach with little plastic litter in Yonaguni Island, Okinawa. The pollution was also analyzed by focusing on the differen...

Background Macrolides have a long history of use in animals and humans. Dynamics of macrolide-antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in waterway from the origin to the sea has not been reported. Methods Resistant bacterial rate was measured by culture method, and copy numbers of macrolide-ARGs, mef(A), erm(B), mph(B), mef(C)-mph(B), and mobile genetic...

The indiscriminate use of antibiotic in aquaculture and leaching of antibiotic from aquaculture to the environment may led to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their resistant genes which is a public concern. Five tetracycline antibiotics (minocycline, doxycycline, chlorotetracycline, oxytetracycline and tetracycline) an...

Plastic pellets are granules of different polymers used in the manufacture of various plastic products. Plastic pellets can reach the environment due to losses after their manufacturing process, especially the transportation. Loading in harbour areas and transport by ships are the main sources of plastic pellets to the ocean and coastal areas. Afte...

On 10 August 2021, a face mask (14 cm × 9 cm) was found in the feces of a juvenile green turtle, by-caught alive in a set net off the northeast coast of Japan. Although sea turtles have been monitored in this region over the last 15 years (n = 76), face masks had never been found before the Covid-19 pandemic and this is the first detection. Fourier...

Among the plastic debris surveyed in the marine environment, a large quantity in terms of volume was found to be expanded polystyrene foam (EPS). This is due to its light weight and popularity as a packaging material. In this study, 28 compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) were analyzed in both new and beached EPS collected in Califor...

To analyze a wide range of phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals, including alkylphenols, bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues, triclosan (TCS), thymol, and phenolic UV filters, a direct acetylation method has been developed and applied to 116 river water samples and 40 sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent samples collected in 2016–2019 in Tokyo,...

La Tunisie n'est pas un pays producteur des stabilisateurs-UV et des PCBs, pourtant les granulés de plastiques qui ont échoué sur les plages tunisiennes contiennent ces substances chimiques toxiques. Les stabilisateurs-UV et les PCBs portent atteinte à la santé, polluent l'environnement et impactent la vie marine. Ils sont classés comme des perturb...

Plastics are formed from C–C single bonds which are flexible making them easily transformable. Thus, plastics have been widely utilized by the global society. However, the C–C single bond is easily breakable by UV radiation. Eventually, plastics are fragmented into microplastics (<5 mm) and ultimately will be washed off to marine environments. Micr...

Preproduction plastics in the size of lentils, known as plastic pellets, or nurdles, are used to make plastic products but are often lost during production, transportation, and storage. These pellets have been found on beaches all over the world since the 1970s. They can carry many different chemicals, both those that have been purposely added to t...

Sustainable crop production depends primarily on water and nutrients among other inputs. Mulching improves soil moisture and nutrient conservation as well as ameliorates soil erosion. We conducted two different experiments to examine the impact of mulch on soil erosion and the productivity of carrot (Daucus carota L.). Mulch used were sugarcane bag...

Plastic pollution, and its associated impacts on marine fauna due to chemical contamination, is an area of growing global concern. We analyzed 145 preen gland oil samples from 32 seabird species belonging to 8 families with different foraging habits and life history strategies from around the world for plastic additives and legacy persistent organi...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are known to be broken down by debromination reactions in the natural environment, such as by photolysis, microbial and metabolic processes. Although species-specific debromination of PBDEs by fish has also been reported, it has only rarely been studied from the phylogenetic perspective. The objective of this...

Efficient methods for decreasing the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and transfer of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) from livestock manure to humans are urgently needed. Aerobic composting (AC) or anaerobic digestion (AD) are widely used for manure treatment in Japanese dairy farms. To clarify the effects of AC and AD on anti...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in plastic resin pellets collected from 65 beaches across 27 countries worldwide. They were detected at 49 locations at concentrations of the sum of 49 congeners of up to 46 ng/g-pellet and a median of 2 ng/g-pellet. These values are one to two orders of magnitude lower than those of polychlorina...

We measured radiocesium in mussel tissue collected from the Pacific coast of Tohoku from 2011 to 2015 to investigate the temporal and spatial dynamics of radiocesium in the coastal area. Radioactive ¹³⁷Cs was detected in all the samples collected in 2011, but it was not found in samples from localities north of Sendai after 2012. In contrast, ¹³⁷Cs...

Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVSs) are added to various materials to prevent damage from UV-irradiation. Recently, there has been great concern regarding the endocrine-disrupting effects of exposure to microplastic-derivative BUVSs in particular. In this study, we measured the concentrations of nine representative BUVSs in the plastic bottle caps...

Water systems in Southeast Asia accumulate antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from multiple origins, notably including human clinics and animal farms. To ascertain the fate of antibiotics and ARGs in natural water environments, we monitored the concentrations of these items in Thailand. Here, we show high concentrations of tetracycl...

Anthropogenic marine debris is a threat to marine organisms. Understanding how this debris spatially distributes at sea and may become associated with marine wildlife are key steps to tackle this current issue. Using bird-borne GPS- and video-loggers on 13 black-footed albatrosses Phoebastria nigripes breeding in Torishima, Japan, we examined the d...

We measured microplastics [(MPs): 10 μm–5 mm] in untreated and secondary-treated sewage, highway runoff, and estuarine water in Tokyo, Japan, during both dry and wet weather. MPs smaller than 200 μm were predominant, making up>60% of the total number, in all our water samples. The abundance of the MPs was 420 pieces/L in the influent and 8.7 pieces...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and hopanes were analyzed in plastic resin pellets collected from 19 locations along the Persian Gulf coastline. PCBs were high at locations near industrial areas, where their concentrations (sum of 13 congeners, 54–624 ng/g-pellet) were higher than those in rural coastal to...

A variety of chemical additives are incorporated into plastics during their production process to give desirable properties. Although studies have suggested that microplastic ingestion can lead to accumulation of these chemicals in marine organisms, none provided the direct evidence in fish species. Here, we demonstrated the tissue accumulation of...

Although the debromination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish species has been studied, environmental factors, such as chemical contamination and habitat temperature, have not been well understood. This study compared debromination of BDE209 by hepatic microsomes of wild and cultured fish. PBDE concentrations in muscle tissue were lo...

The corrected Electronic Supplementary Material is presented in this paper.

Background and Objectives: One major source of antibiotic contamination in the sea is from aquaculture. We monitored the concentration of commonly used antibiotic classes and antibiotic resistance genes ( tet (M), sul1, sul2 and sul3 ) in aquaculture farms in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: Antibiotic residues and resistance genes were quantified usi...

Manure compost has been thought of as a potential important route of transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) from livestock to humans. To clarify the abundance of ARB and ARGs, ARB and ARGs were quantitatively determined in tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli (harboring the tetA gene)-spi...

Plastic debris is ubiquitous and increasing in the marine environment [1]. A wide range of marine organisms ingest plastic, and its impacts are of growing concern [2]. Seabirds are particularly susceptible to plastic pollution because of high rates of ingestion [3]. Because marine plastics contain an array of hazardous compounds, the chemical impac...

PCBs and PBDEs in microplastics and zooplankton collected in surface water at 27 locations in the Pacific Ocean and around the coast of Japan were investigated. Both PCBs and PBDEs were observed in buoyant microplastics, even in smaller particles of 0.315-1 mm. Concentrations of Σ13 PCBs were 0.04-124 ng/g, and were higher in urban bay areas such a...

In the ocean, plastic debris containing chemical additives is fragmented into smaller pieces that can be ingested by a wide range of organisms, potentially exposing them to additives. However, the levels of additives retained in marine plastic fragments have rarely been assessed. In this study, 141 plastic fragments from a beach in Kauai were analy...

Filter feeding organisms have been reported to ingest microplastics (MP) in marine environments. However, information regarding how long the ingested MPs are retained in their digestive tracts remains limited. Here, we report the gut retention time (GRT90) and the long-term egestion time of three different sized polystyrene microspheres (1, 10, and...

The risk of marine organisms ingesting plastics has become a growing concern due to hazard chemicals in plastics. To identify compounds to which seabirds potentially have substantial exposure, 194 plastics fragments and pellets ingested by seabirds, i.e., northern fulmars from the Faroe Islands, and laysan albatross and black-footed albatross from...

An interlaboratory comparison exercise was conducted to assess the consistency of microplastic quantification across several laboratories. The test samples were prepared by mixing one liter seawater free of plastics, mi-croplastics made from polypropylene, high-and low-density polyethylene, and artificial particles in two plastic bottles, and analy...

Longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) may has been studied as an indicator of marine pollution caused by marine litter. The objectives of this study were to determine the difference in frequency of occurrence of plastics ingested by longnose lancetfish in different ocean area. In this study, we compared the incidence and characteristics of anthro...

This report was the product of a GESAMP Working Group, consisting of 15 independent experts based in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australasia. The report was edited by Kershaw, Turra and Galgani. It with provides recommendations to encourage a more harmonised approach to the monitoring and assessment of plastic litter, inc...

This volume consists of 15 chapters and focuses on hazardous chemicals, how they are associated with plastics, and their environmental risks. It includes background information on plastics and additives chemistry, and their observed or potential effects on living organisms as well as the oceanographic aspects of marine debris dispersion. The respec...

Situated at high positions on marine food webs, seabirds accumulate high concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). Our previous studies proposed the usefulness of seabirds preen gland oil as a nondes...

The issue of microplastics has introduced an entirely new phase of marine plastic pollution for the 21st century. Plastics have spread throughout the marine ecosystem including the surface water, bottom sediments, and various marine organisms. Hazardous chemicals associated with marine plastics are also entering marine ecosystems. The major sources...

The production of plastics increases, their applications are diverse, and land-based management of the end-of-life products is not perfect. These result in increased amounts of plastics to be supplied to the ocean through a variety of routes and plastic pollution to be a serious and urgent problem for the marine environment. Degradation causes plas...

Marine plastic debris, including microplastics <5 mm, contain additives as well as hydrophobic chemicals sorbed from surrounding seawater. A volunteer-based global monitoring programme entitled International Pellet Watch (IPW) is utilizing the sorptive nature of plastics, more specifically of beached polyethylene (PE) pellets, in order to measure p...

Field observations of seabirds and whales indicate transfer of chemicals from ingested plastics to the tissue of organisms which have ingested the plastics. To determine the significance of plastic-mediated exposure of chemicals, it should be compared with natural prey-mediated exposure. In case where background pollution is high, plastic-mediated...

In this study, the distribution and source identification of sedimentary PAHs from 13 rivers running through Jakarta City were investigated. Freeze-dried sediment samples were extracted by pressurized fluid extraction and purified by two-step of column chromatography. PAHs were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-M...

The most prevalent pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is now plenteously distributed in the global atmosphere. We recently quantified 36 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with aerosols (particulate matter: PM) in five Asian cities: Tokyo (Japan), Beijing (China), Kolkata (India), Hanoi (Vietnam), and Kuala Lumpur (M...

Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident, regional road dust, heavily contaminated with radiocesium, now represents a potential source of radiocesium pollution in river water. To promote effective countermeasures for reducing the risk from radiocesium pollution, it is important to understand its sources. This study evaluated...

The tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 disturbed coastal environments in the eastern Tohoku region in Japan. Numerous terrestrial materials, including anthropogenic organic compounds, were deposited in the coastal zone. To evaluate the impacts of the disaster, we analyzed PCBs, LABs, PAHs, and hopanes in mussels col...

Microplastics (<5 mm) were extracted from sediment cores collected in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa by density separation after hydrogen peroxide treatment to remove biofilms were and identified using FTIR. Carbonyl and vinyl indices were used to avoid counting biopolymers as plastics. Microplastics composed of variety of polymers, in...

Oil pollution in the marine environment is an unavoidable problem due to chronic input from local sources, particularly in urban areas and oil spills. Oil pollution not only causes immediate physical damages to surrounding wildlife but also some components, including higher molecular weight PAHs, can persist in the environment for many years and po...

The complex nature of ocean pollution underscores the utility in identifying and characterizing a limited number of "indicators" that enables scientists and managers to track trends over space and time. This paper introduces a special issue on indicators of marine pollution in the North Pacific Ocean and builds on a scientific session that was held...

We investigated microplastics in the digestive tracts of 64 Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) sampled in Tokyo Bay. Plastic was detected in 49 out of 64 fish (77%), with 2.3 pieces on average and up to 15 pieces per individual. All of the plastics were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Most were polyethylene (52.0%) or pol...

Antimicrobials are widely used, not only for treating human infections, but also for treatment of livestock and in fish farms. Human habitats in Southeastern Asian countries are located in close proximity to aquatic environments. As such, the human populations within these regions are at risk of exposure to antimicrobial resistant bacteria, and the...

Plastic resin pellets collected at Minh Chau island and Ba Lat estuary between 2007 and 2014 in Vietnam were analyzed for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). The study was carried out as part of the International Pellet Watch program for monitoring the global distribution of...

Plastic marine debris is a global problem, but due to its widespread and patchy distribution, gathering sufficient samples for scientific research is challenging with limited ship time and human resources. Taking advantage of public interest in the impact of plastic on the marine environment, successful Citizen Science (CS) programs incorporate mem...

Additives and monomers are integral components of plastics or polymers. Bisphenol A (BPA), nonylphenol (NP), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are the common monomer and additives used primarily to improve the quality of plastic materials. They are used as antioxidants, stabilizers, plasticizers, and flame retardants in plastics that are i...

Persistent organic pollutants (i.e. PCBs, DDTs, and HCHs) were analyzed along Australia and New Zealand North Island coastlines. PCB concentrations were high in urban areas (107-294ng/g-pellet), with Sydney Harbour the most polluted. Hepta-chlorinated PCB was abundant, with ~30% in urban areas suggesting legacy pollution. DDT concentrations showed...

Our previous study suggested the transfer of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame-retardants from ingested plastics to seabirds' tissues. To understand how the PBDEs are transferred, we studied leaching from plastics into digestive fluids. We hypothesized that stomach oil, which is present in the digestive tract of birds in the order Procella...

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are ubiquitous in the natural environment. The introduction of effluent derived antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into aquatic environments is of concern in the spreading of genetic risk. This study showed the prevalence of sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes, sul1, sul2, sul3, and tet(M), in the total bacteri...

IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/UNEP/UNDP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection GESAMP. Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 90, 96 p.

The release of radiocesium from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant caused environmental contamination. We analyzed sources, behavior, and temporal trends of radiocesium by 1-year monitoring in an urban river, the Ohori River. The concentrations of 137 Cs in both particulate and dissolved phases decreased to ~ 16% within 1 year. The partitio...

Marine wildlife faces a growing number of threats across the globe, and the survival of many species and populations will be dependent on conservation action. One threat in particular that has emerged over the last 4 decades is the pollution of oceanic and coastal habitats with plastic debris. The increased occurrence of plastics in marine ecosyste...

Marine wildlife faces a growing number of threats across the globe, and the survival of many species and populations will be dependent on conservation action. One threat in particular that has emerged over the last 4 decades is the pollution of oceanic and coastal habitats with plastic debris. The increased occurrence of plastics in marine ecosyste...

We employed a multi-tracer approach to investigate sources and pathways of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in urban groundwater, based on 53 groundwater samples taken from confined aquifers and unconfined aquifers in Tokyo. While the median concentrations of groundwater PFAAs were several ng/L, the maximum concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (...

Plastic resin pellets collected at 11 beaches covering the whole Ghanaian coastline were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCB concentrations (∑13 congeners) were higher in Accra, capital city, and Tema (39-69ng/g-pellets) than those in rural coastal towns (1-15ng/g-pellets) which are close to global background, indicating local inputs...

Four decades of research have provided a reasonable understanding of the outline of the biogeochemical cycles of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coastal ocean and surface ocean ecosystems, including atmospheric transport to the sea, air-sea exchange processes, and the role of particulate matter in...

It would be convenient if we could achieve multi-component (organic and inorganic species) analysis using just one quartz fiber filter (QFF) as an aerosol collection medium. In general, QFF have been used for analyzing carbonaceous materials in aerosols. This study shows a nondestructive, rapid, and simple method using EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-Ra...

Historical trends of the accumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a typical tropical Asian environment were investigated using radio-dated sediment cores from Manila Bay, the Philippines and from the upper Gulf of Thailand. Vertical profiles indicated earlier usage of PCBs than of PBDEs which co...