Abstract
It has been suggested that the seafloor may be a sink for the plastic debris that enters the ocean. Therefore, the collection of data in the seafloor sediments regarding the co-presence of microplastics (MPs) and contaminants associated to plastic is considered a relevant topic. However, the number of studies addressing their possible correlation in this environment is still limited, and very little is known about the mechanisms that determine the release of plastic additives from plastic items. Starting from this basis, we investigated the presence of MPs and eleven phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in the continental shelf offshore Barcelona. Following a shelf-slope continuum approach, we sampled sediments from five stations, and we performed analysis by means of infrared micro spectroscopy (µFTIR) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). MPs were found to range from 62.0 to 931.1 items/kg d.w. with maximum concentration in the submarine canyon Besòs and at the highest depth. Moreover, different trends in the size distribution of fibers and non-fibers were observed, indicating the occurrence of a size dependent selection mechanism during transport and accumulation. PAEs resulted comprised between 1.35 to 2.41 mg/kg with Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) the most abundant congeners (1.04 mg/kg). Statistical analysis revealed no correlation between the Σ11PAEs and the total MPs concentration, but correlation between DEHP and fibers (σ = 0.667, p = 0,037), that resulted both correlated to the distance to the coast (ρ = 0.941 with p = 0,008 and ρ = 0.673 with p = 0.035, respectively).
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This work was supported by the University of Milano Bicocca FAR 2019 fund. Grant recipient: Marina Lasagni.
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. The sampling was performed by Anna Sanchez Vidal and Antoni Calafat, spectroscopy was performed by Francesco Saliu and Sergio Andò, and statistical analysis was performed by Francesco Saliu and Marina Lasagni. Funding was provided to Marina Lasagni. Conceptualization was provided by Francesco Saliu, Claudio Pellegrini, and Luca Ferrero. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Francesco Saliu, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Saliu, F., Lasagni, M., Andò, S. et al. A baseline assessment of the relationship between microplastics and plasticizers in sediment samples collected from the Barcelona continental shelf. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 36311–36324 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24772-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-24772-1