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Volume 13
Issue 8
10.3390/toxics13080673
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Assessment of Organic Pollutants Desorbed from Plastic Litter Items Stranded on Cadiz Beaches (SW Spain)

by
Juan Manuel Traverso-Soto
1,
Manuel Figueredo
1,*,
Irene Punta-Sánchez
2,
Olivia Campana
1,
Elisabetta Ciufegni
3,
Miriam Hampel
4,
Joana Buoninsegni
3,
Manuel A. Manzano Quiñones
1 and
Giorgio Anfuso
1,*
1
Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina, INMAR, Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
2
Instituto de Investigación Vitivinícola y Agroalimentaria, IVAGRO, Campus de Puerto Real, Universidad de Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
3
Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
4
Department of Ecology and Coastal Management, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN—CSIC), Campus Universitario Río San Pedro, 11519 Puerto Real, Spain
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Toxics 2025, 13(8), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080673
Submission received: 10 July 2025 / Revised: 2 August 2025 / Accepted: 7 August 2025 / Published: 9 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Methodologies in Toxicology for Environmental Safety Assessment)
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Abstract

This paper constitutes a preliminary study that evaluates the organic pollutants desorbed from “fresh” plastic litter, i.e., recently stranded items, on three beaches in Cadiz (SW Spain): Bajo de Guia, La Jara, and La Puntilla. Beach litter items were collected and classified in laboratory according to their composition and use. Leachates were obtained by stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and analysed with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Fifty-five target organic compounds—including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, fragrances, insect repellents, and UV filters—were quantified. Plastics accounted for the majority of litter by both number and weight. Cigarette butts and wipes were also prevalent and served as key sources of leachable PAHs. With respect to the main pollutants found in plastic films, hard plastics, and wipes, fragrances such as OTNE1 (1-Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalene), OTNE2 (2-Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalene), DEET (N, N-Diethyl-Meta-Toluamide), galaxolide, and tonalide were dominant, with concentrations exceeding 100 ng/g in some cases. DEET was the most common insect repellent detected. These findings underscore the role of beach litter, especially plastic waste, as a vector for persistent and emerging organic pollutants, highlighting the urgent need for improved waste management and monitoring practices to mitigate ecological risks associated with plastic pollution.
Keywords: coastal monitoring; leaching; organic pollutants; FTIR; GC–MS coastal monitoring; leaching; organic pollutants; FTIR; GC–MS
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MDPI and ACS Style

Traverso-Soto, J.M.; Figueredo, M.; Punta-Sánchez, I.; Campana, O.; Ciufegni, E.; Hampel, M.; Buoninsegni, J.; Manzano Quiñones, M.A.; Anfuso, G. Assessment of Organic Pollutants Desorbed from Plastic Litter Items Stranded on Cadiz Beaches (SW Spain). Toxics 2025, 13, 673. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080673

AMA Style

Traverso-Soto JM, Figueredo M, Punta-Sánchez I, Campana O, Ciufegni E, Hampel M, Buoninsegni J, Manzano Quiñones MA, Anfuso G. Assessment of Organic Pollutants Desorbed from Plastic Litter Items Stranded on Cadiz Beaches (SW Spain). Toxics. 2025; 13(8):673. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080673

Chicago/Turabian Style

Traverso-Soto, Juan Manuel, Manuel Figueredo, Irene Punta-Sánchez, Olivia Campana, Elisabetta Ciufegni, Miriam Hampel, Joana Buoninsegni, Manuel A. Manzano Quiñones, and Giorgio Anfuso. 2025. "Assessment of Organic Pollutants Desorbed from Plastic Litter Items Stranded on Cadiz Beaches (SW Spain)" Toxics 13, no. 8: 673. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080673

APA Style

Traverso-Soto, J. M., Figueredo, M., Punta-Sánchez, I., Campana, O., Ciufegni, E., Hampel, M., Buoninsegni, J., Manzano Quiñones, M. A., & Anfuso, G. (2025). Assessment of Organic Pollutants Desorbed from Plastic Litter Items Stranded on Cadiz Beaches (SW Spain). Toxics, 13(8), 673. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080673

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