Extraction And Determination Of Personal Care Products Adsorbed On Microplastics

Abstract

At present, images of floating garbage and beaches full of plastics have attracted media attention as a real evidence of human impacts on environment. In fact, concern about the presence of plastics in oceans and seas and the effects on aquatic biota is increasing, not only among scientists, but also on policy-makers [1]. From the huge variety of plastics which arrive to water body, microplastics (MPs) have revealed as the most concerning ones. Plastics with a size lower than 5 mm are considered as MPs and they are found, not only in waters but also in sediments or aquatic organisms of all water bodies of the globe [2]. Because of their physicochemical properties, microplastics are considered a new toxic actor for aquatic organisms. In fact, in the last years, many scientific studies have been focused in the quantification of these pollutants. Nevertheless, the possibility that other pollutants as organic molecules could be adsorbed on microplastics have been not studied enough and this phenomenon could produce that the toxicity of microplastics could be even worse. Among the pollutants that have been studied adsorbed in MPs are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). To our knowledge, the lack of studies about sorption of pharmaceuticals on MPs makes necessary the study of this topic. In relation to extraction techniques, the use of soxhlet, ultrasounds and solvent soaking stand out [3]. In this work, we propose an extraction method for the extraction of pharmaceutical compounds adsorbed onto MPs with the aim of studying which factor affects the most its adsorption and desorption. [1] European Commission (2018). Initial Statement by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. ISBN 978-92-79-88537-2 [2] Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Halsband, C., & Galloway, T. S. (2011). Marine pollution bulletin, 62, 2588. [3] Hong, S.H., Shim, W.J., Hong, L., (2017). Analytical methods, 9, 1361