Abstract
Micro- and nano-sized particles of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were used as model (reference) particles to study the biological effects of plastic pollution. Since the PTFE molecule contains fluorine, considered as an “atomic marker” sharply distinguishing it from other common plastics, micro- and nano-particles of PTFE have a specific crystalline structure and are, therefore, well identified by the methods of polarized light microscopy (POL), Raman microspectroscopy (micro-Raman), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Examples of PTFE particles detection in hemolimph of the cockroach Blatella germanica, in hemolimph of the larva and in faecal pellets of imago of a fly Lucilia sp., in the stomach and hingat of brine shrimp Artemia salina, and in association with cell wall of green unicellular alga Chlorococcus sp. are provided. The presented results strongly suggest that PTFE particles can be detected and identified in the biological medium using the method of “atomic markers”, polarization microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.
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Data availability
The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
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This work was supported by the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, FEB RAS. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Alexander A. Karpenko, Vyacheslav S. Odintsov and Aleksandra A. Istomina. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Alexander A. Karpenko and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
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Karpenko, A.A., Odintsov, V.S. & Istomina, A.A. Micro-nano-sized polytetrafluoroethylene (teflon) particles as a model of plastic pollution detection in living organisms. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 11281–11290 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16487-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16487-6