title: Characterisation, quantity and sorptive properties of microplastics extracted from cosmetics.
abstract: Cosmetic products, such as facial scrubs, have been identified as potentially important primary sources of microplastics to the marine environment. This study characterises, quantifies and then investigates the sorptive properties of plastic microbeads that are used as exfoliants in cosmetics. Polyethylene microbeads were extracted from several products, and shown to have a wide size range (mean diameters between 164 and 327 μm). We estimated that between 4594 and 94,500 microbeads could be released in a single use. To examine the potential for microbeads to accumulate and transport chemicals they were exposed to a binary mixture of (3)H-phenanthrene and (14)C-DDT in seawater. The potential for transport of sorbed chemicals by microbeads was broadly similar to that of polythene (PE) particles used in previous sorption studies. In conclusion, cosmetic exfoliants are a potentially important, yet preventable source of microplastic contamination in the marine environment.
authors.affiliation: Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre (MBERC), School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Imogen.Napper@Plymouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Imogen E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Napper
authors.affiliation: Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre (MBERC), School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom; Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry Group (PEGG), School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Adil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakir
authors.affiliation: Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry Group (PEGG), School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rowland
authors.affiliation: Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre (MBERC), School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D003358:Cosmetics / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D003634:DDT / Q000737:chemistry; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020959:Polyethylene / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003358:Cosmetics; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D010969:Plastics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C031181:phenanthrene; D020959:Polyethylene; D003634:DDT
keywords: Contaminant; Exfoliating microbeads; Microplastic; Ocean pollution; Polyethylene