Ny vetenskaplig artikel: Mikroplaster betraktas idag som ett stort miljöhot där negativa effekter har dokumenterats hos organismer på alla nivåer i födoväven. Problemet är att dessa studier inte kan påvisa att effekterna från mikroplaster skiljer sig från naturliga mikropartiklar som t.ex. lera och sediment. Denna artikel föreslår att effekter som rapporterats i de senaste ekotoxikologiska studierna på mikroplaster liknar dem som orsakas av naturliga partiklar. För att kunna bedöma riskerna med mikroplaster måste man kunna visa att effekterna skiljer sig eller är starkare än de som orsakas av naturliga partiklar.
Abstract
New scientific article: Microplastic pollution is currently perceived as an environmental hazard, and adverse effects have been reported at various levels of biological organization. However, most experimental designs do not allow plastic-specific effects to be distinguished from those caused by other particles, such as clay and cellulose, which are naturally ubiquitous in the environment. We suggest that microplastic effects reported in recent ecotoxicological studies are similar to those induced by the natural particles. To provide a sound basis for risk assessment, experimental designs must not only be able to disentangle the effects of food limitation and particle toxicity but also demonstrate whether microplastics cause impacts that differ from those induced by natural particles.
Keywords:
Microplastic, Suspended sediment, Reference particle, Experimental design, Risk assessment, LOEC, Food limitation, Filter-feeder.
Länk till artikel:
Martin Ogonowski, Zandra Gerdes and Elena Gorokhova. 2018: What we know and what we think we know about microplastic effects – A critical perspective. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 1:41–46. DOI: 10.1016/j.coesh.2017.09.001.