Acute toxicity of bioplastic leachates to Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin larvae

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 176; p. 105605
• Main Authors: Uribe-Echeverría, Teresa, Beiras, Ricardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Acute toxicity; Additives; Animals; Bioplastic; Bioplastics; Chromatography; Cups; Ecotoxicology; Formulations; Gas chromatography; Larva; Larvae; Larval bioassay; Leachates; Marine invertebrates; Microplastic; Paracentrotus; Paracentrotus lividus; Petrochemicals; Polyesters - toxicity; Polyhydroxyalkanoates; Polyhydroxyalkanoic acid; Polyhydroxybutyrate; Polyhydroxybutyric acid; Polylactic acid; Polymers; Polyvinyl chloride; Polyvinyl Chloride - pharmacology; Three dimensional printing; Toxicity; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Additives; Paracentrotus lividus; Ecotoxicology; Polyhydroxybutyrate; Polylactic acid; Microplastic; Larval bioassay; Bioplastic
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105605

In an attempt to ensure that bioplastics, progressively replacing petrochemical-derived plastics, do not release any harmful compound to the environment, the study assessed the toxic effects of three innovative bioplastic products: polyhydroxybutyrate resin (PHB), polylactic acid cups (PLA) and a polylactic acid/polyhydroxyalkanoate 3D printing filament (PLA/PHA), together with a synthetic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toy in Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin larvae. PVC toy was the most toxic material, likely due to the added plasticizers; remarkably, even if PHB is conceived as a nontoxic polymer, it showed a slight toxicity and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectometry analysis (GC-MS) revealed the presence of a wide range of additives. Conversely, PLA cups and PLA/PHA filament were innocuous for the larvae, a positive outcome for these renewable solutions. Proven that additives are also used in some bioplastic formulations, they should be carefully addressed to ensure that they are as safe as regarded. •PHB resin contains a high number of additives.•PHB resin causes slight toxicity to Paracentrotus lividus larvae.•Microplastic fragments of PLA and PLA/PHA blend seem to be innocuous for the larvae.•PVC microplastics induce malformations and inhibit growth of sea urchin larvae.