Organic additive release from plastic to seawater is lower under deep-sea conditions

Vincent Fauvelle (), Marc Garel, Christian Tamburini, David Nerini, Javier Castro-Jiménez, Natascha Schmidt, Andrea Paluselli, Armand Fahs, Laure Papillon, Andy M. Booth and Richard Sempéré
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Vincent Fauvelle: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)
Marc Garel: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)
Christian Tamburini: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)
David Nerini: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)
Javier Castro-Jiménez: Laboratory of Biogeochemistry of Organic Contaminants (LBCO), IFREMER
Natascha Schmidt: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)
Andrea Paluselli: Incheon National University
Armand Fahs: University of Toulon
Laure Papillon: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)
Andy M. Booth: SINTEF Ocean AS, Environment and New Resources
Richard Sempéré: Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO)

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Plastic garbage patches at the ocean surface are symptomatic of a wider pollution affecting the whole marine environment. Sinking of plastic debris increasingly appears to be an important process in the global fate of plastic in the ocean. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the processes affecting plastic distributions and degradation and how this influences the release of additives under varying environmental conditions, especially in deep-sea environments. Here we show that in abiotic conditions increasing hydrostatic pressure inhibits the leaching of the heaviest organic additives such as tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate and diisononyl phthalate from polyethylene and polyvinylchloride materials, whereas deep-sea and surface marine prokaryotes promote the release of all targeted additives (phthalates, bisphenols, organophosphate esters). This study provides empirical evidences for more efficient additive release at the ocean surface than in deep seawater, where the major plastic burden is supposed to transit through before reaching the sediment compartment.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24738-w

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