Issue 8, 2023

Microplastic-sorbed persistent organic pollutants in coastal Mediterranean Sea areas of Tunisia

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of global concern due to their pervasiveness, high sorption ability for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and direct and indirect toxicity to marine organisms, ecosystems, as well as humans. As one of the major coastal interfaces, beaches are considered among the most affected ecosystems by MPs pollution. The morphological characteristics of MPs (pellets and fragments) collected from four beaches along the Tunisian coast and sorbed POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), were investigated in this study. The results showed that the MPs varied greatly in color, polymer composition and degradation degree. The color varied from colored to transparent and the most prevalent polymer identified using Raman spectroscopy was polyethylene. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images exhibited various surface degradation features including cavities, cracks, attached diatom remains, etc. The concentrations of Σ12PCBs over all beaches ranged from 14 to 632 ng g−1 and 26 to 112 ng g−1 in the pellets and fragments, respectively, with a notable presence and dominance of highly-chlorinated PCBs such as CB-153 and -138. Among the OCPs, γ-HCH is the only compound detected with concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 9.7 ng g−1 and 0.7 to 4.2 ng g−1 in the pellets and fragments, respectively. Our findings indicate that MPs found on the Tunisian coast may pose a chemical risk to marine organisms as the concentrations of PCBs and γ-HCH in most of the analysed samples exceeded the sediment-quality guidelines (SQG), especially the effects range medium (ERM) and the probable effects level (PEL). As the first report of its kind, the information gathered in this study can serve as the baseline and starting point for future monitoring work for Tunisia and neighbouring countries, as well as for stakeholders and coastal managers in decision-making processes.

Graphical abstract: Microplastic-sorbed persistent organic pollutants in coastal Mediterranean Sea areas of Tunisia

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 abr 2023
Accepted
26 jun 2023
First published
27 jun 2023

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023,25, 1347-1364

Microplastic-sorbed persistent organic pollutants in coastal Mediterranean Sea areas of Tunisia

B. Barhoumi, M. Metian, H. Zaghden, A. Derouiche, W. Ben Ameur, S. Ben Hassine, F. Oberhaensli, J. Mora, N. Mourgkogiannis, A. M. Al-Rawabdeh, L. Chouba, C. M. Alonso-Hernández, H. K. Karapanagioti, M. R. Driss, A. Mliki and S. Touil, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023, 25, 1347 DOI: 10.1039/D3EM00169E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements