Unraveling Physical and Chemical Effects of Textile Microfibers

Athey, Samantha N.; Carney Almroth, Bethanie; Granek, Elise F.; Hurst, Paul; Tissot, Alexandra G.; Weis, Judith S.

doi:10.3390/w14233797

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Unraveling Physical and Chemical Effects of Textile Microfibers

by

Samantha N. Athey

^1,2,

Bethanie Carney Almroth

³,

Elise F. Granek

⁴,

Paul Hurst

⁴,

Alexandra G. Tissot

⁴

and

Judith S. Weis

^5,*

¹

Plastic Ocean Project, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA

²

Department of Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA

³

Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden

⁴

Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA

⁵

Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Water 2022, 14(23), 3797; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233797

Submission received: 1 November 2022 / Revised: 15 November 2022 / Accepted: 16 November 2022 / Published: 22 November 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Microplastics Pollution in the Aquatic Environment)

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Abstract

Microfibers are the most prevalent microplastics in most terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biota as well as in human tissues and have been collected from environmental compartments across most ecosystems and species sampled worldwide. These materials, made of diverse compound types, range from semi-synthetic and treated natural fibers to synthetic microfibers. Microfibers expose organisms across diverse taxa to an array of chemicals, both from the manufacturing process and from environmental adsorption, with effects on organisms at subcellular to population levels. Untangling the physical versus chemical effects of these compounds on organisms is challenging and requires further investigations that tease apart these mechanisms. Understanding how physical and chemical exposures affect organisms is essential to improving strategies to minimize harm.

Keywords: aquatic; marine; microplastic; semi-synthetic; synthetic; terrestrial; virgin fibers; weathered fibers

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MDPI and ACS Style

Athey, S.N.; Carney Almroth, B.; Granek, E.F.; Hurst, P.; Tissot, A.G.; Weis, J.S. Unraveling Physical and Chemical Effects of Textile Microfibers. Water 2022, 14, 3797. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233797

AMA Style

Athey SN, Carney Almroth B, Granek EF, Hurst P, Tissot AG, Weis JS. Unraveling Physical and Chemical Effects of Textile Microfibers. Water. 2022; 14(23):3797. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233797

Chicago/Turabian Style

Athey, Samantha N., Bethanie Carney Almroth, Elise F. Granek, Paul Hurst, Alexandra G. Tissot, and Judith S. Weis. 2022. "Unraveling Physical and Chemical Effects of Textile Microfibers" Water 14, no. 23: 3797. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233797

APA Style

Athey, S. N., Carney Almroth, B., Granek, E. F., Hurst, P., Tissot, A. G., & Weis, J. S. (2022). Unraveling Physical and Chemical Effects of Textile Microfibers. Water, 14(23), 3797. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233797

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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