title: Elemental concentrations and bioaccessibilities in beached plastic foam litter, with particular reference to lead in polyurethane.
abstract: Seventy samples of foamed plastic collected from a high-energy, sandy beach in SW England have been characterised by FTIR and XRF. Most samples were polyurethane (PU; n=39) or polystyrene (PS; n=27) that were associated with variable concentrations of Br-Cl, Fe and Zn, indicative of the presence of halogenated flame retardants, iron oxides and Zn-based additives, respectively. Many samples of rigid PU contained Pb, historically used as a catalyst, at concentrations of up to 16,000μgg-1. A physiological extraction test that simulates the conditions in the gizzard of plastic-ingesting seabirds was applied to selected samples and results revealed that while Br and Zn were not measurably bioaccessible, Pb mobilisation progressed logarithmically over a period of time with maximum accessibilities after 220h of ~10% of total metal. Foamed PU is a source of bioaccessible Pb in the marine environment that has not previously been documented.
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK. Electronic address: aturner@plymouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
authors.forename: Kwan S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D001493:Bathing Beaches / Q000592:standards*; D004739:England; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000032:analysis; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000032:analysis*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D010969:Plastics; D011137:Polystyrenes; D011140:Polyurethanes; D014866:Waste Products; D007854:Lead
keywords: Flame retardants; Foams; Lead; Plastics; Polyurethane; Seabirds