Previous Article in Journal
Metal Enrichment in Settleable Particulate Matter Associated with Air Pollution in the Andean City of Ecuador
Previous Article in Special Issue
Low Concentrations of Ibuprofen Had No Adverse Effects on Deleatidium spp. Mayfly Nymphs: A 7-Day Experiment
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Environments
Volume 12
Issue 9
10.3390/environments12090305
environments-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Plasticizers and Bisphenols in Sicilian Lagoon Bivalves, Water, and Sediments: Environmental Risk in Areas with Different Anthropogenic Pressure

by
Giuseppa Di Bella
1,†,
Federica Litrenta
2,*,†,
Angela Giorgia Potortì
1,*,
Salvatore Giacobbe
2,
Vincenzo Nava
1,
Davide Puntorieri
3,
Ambrogina Albergamo
1 and
Vincenzo Lo Turco
1
1
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and of Morphological and Functional Images (BIOMORF), University of Messina, Viale Palatucci 13, 98168 Messina, Italy
2
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences (CHIBIOFARAM), University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
3
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Viale Palatucci 13, 98168 Messina, Italy
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Environments 2025, 12(9), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12090305 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 August 2025 / Revised: 27 August 2025 / Accepted: 29 August 2025 / Published: 30 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Plasticizers and bisphenols are contaminants of concern in the environment, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Bivalve molluscs are effective bioindicators due to their benthic nature, their ability to filter water, and their capacity to bioaccumulate persistent pollutants. This study analyzes plasticizers and bisphenols in three native clam species (Ruditapes decussatus, Cerastoderma glaucum, and Polititapes aureus) from two Sicilian lagoons under different levels of anthropogenic pressure: the urbanized Capo Peloro lagoon (Ganzirri Lake) and the less impacted Oliveri–Tindari lagoon. The clams, together with water and sediment samples, were collected in winter 2023. Both groups of clams from the two sampling areas contained phthalates such as DMP, DEP, DiBP, and DEHP, as well as non-phthalate plasticizers such as DEHT, DBA, DEA, and DEHA. The sum of non-phthalate plasticizers (NPPs) was consistently higher than the sum of phthalates in all clam samples, confirming the emerging trend of NPPs. This trend was also observed in the water and sediment samples, regardless of the sampling area. The presence of structural analogues of bisphenol A (BPA) highlights the growing prevalence of BPA-like structures in aquatic environments. Given the increasing evidence of widespread and persistent contamination of aquatic environments by plasticizers and bisphenols, it is evident that these substances pose a significant threat to ecosystems and human health.
Keywords: plasticizers; bisphenols; bivalve molluscs; clams; water; sediments; environmental monitoring plasticizers; bisphenols; bivalve molluscs; clams; water; sediments; environmental monitoring

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Di Bella, G.; Litrenta, F.; Potortì, A.G.; Giacobbe, S.; Nava, V.; Puntorieri, D.; Albergamo, A.; Lo Turco, V. Plasticizers and Bisphenols in Sicilian Lagoon Bivalves, Water, and Sediments: Environmental Risk in Areas with Different Anthropogenic Pressure. Environments 2025, 12, 305. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12090305

AMA Style

Di Bella G, Litrenta F, Potortì AG, Giacobbe S, Nava V, Puntorieri D, Albergamo A, Lo Turco V. Plasticizers and Bisphenols in Sicilian Lagoon Bivalves, Water, and Sediments: Environmental Risk in Areas with Different Anthropogenic Pressure. Environments. 2025; 12(9):305. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12090305

Chicago/Turabian Style

Di Bella, Giuseppa, Federica Litrenta, Angela Giorgia Potortì, Salvatore Giacobbe, Vincenzo Nava, Davide Puntorieri, Ambrogina Albergamo, and Vincenzo Lo Turco. 2025. "Plasticizers and Bisphenols in Sicilian Lagoon Bivalves, Water, and Sediments: Environmental Risk in Areas with Different Anthropogenic Pressure" Environments 12, no. 9: 305. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12090305

APA Style

Di Bella, G., Litrenta, F., Potortì, A. G., Giacobbe, S., Nava, V., Puntorieri, D., Albergamo, A., & Lo Turco, V. (2025). Plasticizers and Bisphenols in Sicilian Lagoon Bivalves, Water, and Sediments: Environmental Risk in Areas with Different Anthropogenic Pressure. Environments, 12(9), 305. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12090305

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

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop