UNSEEN: Are unseen plastic particles in the global ocean already beyond the "no-effect" concentrations?

看不见的：全球海洋中看不见的塑料颗粒是否已经超出了“无影响”浓度？

• 批准号: NE/X012891/1
• 负责人: Maya Al-Sid-Cheikh
• 金额: $ 10.3万
• 依托单位: University of Surrey
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FX012891%2F1
• 关键词: UNSEEN; unseen; plastic; particles; global

Studies investigating effects of nanoplastics (NPs) on aquatic organisms used concentrations between 2 to 7 order-of-magnitudes higher than those predicted in ocean to track NPs. These studies divided the community between those sounding the alarm due to the observed ecotoxicological effects, and those predicting that NP concentrations in the environment are far below any threshold-effect. In reality, most experiments were inadequately designed. Fit-to-purpose experimental designs have been hindered by a lack of appropriate NP models, tracking methods, and monitoring strategies for environmentally realistic concentrations. Using 14C-labelled NPs and conventional nuclear techniques, we recently modelled that scallop, chronically exposed to environmentally realistic NP concentrations (15 ug/L) might accumulate and reach NPs body burden where effects are observed by those sounding the alarm. Astonishingly, this suggests that NPs are already beyond threshold-effects in organisms and harming the marine biota. UNSEEN will investigate whether NPs in the oceans are already beyond "threshold-effect" concentrations? Using a successful radiolabelling approach, UNSEEN will establish a new methodology for correlative imaging of NPs with elemental and molecular imaging using ion beam analysis (IBA) and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). This analytical approach will provide a unique insight into the potential effects of NPs.The overall goal of UNSEEN is to go beyond a mere qualitative evaluation of the distribution of NPs in the food web, and to generate quantitative, spatially-resolved toxicokinetic and metabolomic data. Quantitative tissue distributions of NPs, following realistic chronic NP exposures, will be directly compared to the spatially-resolved metabolomic data. This will provide a proof-of-concept for a truly novel approach. UNSEEN addresses key questions of whether NPs accumulate in the food-web and whether NPs are harming aquatic organisms at environmentally realistic concentrations after long-term exposures. The approach proposed here is essential and will produce unique, valuable and fundamental knowledge on the combined long-term consequences of NPs and their additives in aquatic environments. This is critical for developing appropriate management strategies regarding plastic litter. If successful, UNSEEN will indeed support policy makers in improving environmental risk assessments of NPs. It is envisioned that the approach proposed herein will enable a step-change in the research on contaminants of emerging concerns and will allow the study of many different aspects of their fates (e.g., transformation, fragmentation, biomineralization, biodistribution). The unconventional approach will fully integrate the processes that govern the biological responses to NPs and provide an understanding of the potential effects of NPs that could be translated to human health. UNSEEN chooses a highly innovative approach to address its research questions. It combines radiochemistry and very emergent technologies from biomedical sciences using ion beam analysis (IBA) and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to resolve important environmental questions. It will establish 14C-labelled NPs as a gold standard for performing realistic laboratory-based studies. It is fundamental research that will have a critical impact beyond its overall goal. The research proposed will, for instance, have a huge impact on the use of 14C as low-level tracer in biomedical studies (i.e. micro-dosing), where appropriate methods are often missing. The approach proposed is unique and will allow to perform ground-breaking science that goes beyond the state-of-the-art. UNSEEN builds a unique inter-disciplinary research team that integrates the relevant expertise in environmental analytical chemistry, radiochemistry and ion beam physics.

研究研究纳米塑料（NP）对水生生物的作用的研究使用了2至7个磁性量的浓度，高于海洋预测的含量。这些研究将由于观察到的生态毒理学效应而导致警报声音的人分配，以及那些预测环境中NP浓度的人远低于任何阈值效应。实际上，大多数实验的设计不足。缺乏适当的NP模型，跟踪方法和监视环境现实浓度的策略，因此无法进行适合的实验设计。使用14C标记的NP和常规核技术，我们最近模仿扇贝，长期暴露于环境逼真的NP浓度（15 ug/L）可能会累积并达到NPS身体负担，而在发出警报的人会观察到效果。令人惊讶的是，这表明NP已经超出了生物体的阈值效应，并损害了海洋生物群。看不见会调查海洋中的NP是否已经超出了“阈值效应”浓度？使用成功的放射性标记方法，使用离子束分析（IBA）和质谱成像（MSI）建立了一种与元素和分子成像相关的NP与元素和分子成像相关的新方法。这种分析方法将为NP的潜在影响提供独特的见解。看不见的总体目标是超越对食品网络中NP的分布的定性评估，并产生定量，空间分辨的毒素和代谢组数据。 NPS的定量组织分布（随后慢性NP暴露）将直接与空间分辨的代谢组数据直接进行比较。这将为一种真正新颖的方法提供概念验证。看不见的问题是NP是否积累在食品网络中的关键问题，以及NP是否在长期暴露后以环境现实的浓度损害水生生物。这里提出的方法至关重要，将对NPS及其在水生环境中的添加剂的长期后果综合后果产生独特，有价值和基本知识。这对于制定有关塑料垃圾的适当管理策略至关重要。如果成功，看不见的确实会支持决策者改善NP的环境风险评估。可以预见的是，本文提出的方法将在有关新兴关注的污染物的研究中实现逐步变化，并将允许研究其命运的许多不同方面（例如，转化，破碎，生物矿化，生物分布）。非常规的方法将完全整合控制NP的生物学反应的过程，并对可以将NP的潜在影响理解为可以转化为人类健康的潜在影响。看不见的选择是一种高度创新的方法来解决其研究问题。它结合了使用离子束分析（IBA）和质谱成像（MSI）从生物医学科学来结合放射化学和非常新兴的技术，以解决重要的环境问题。它将建立14C标记的NP作为进行现实实验室研究的黄金标准。这是基础研究，将产生关键的影响，超出其整体目标。例如，提出的研究将对在生物医学研究（即微剂量）中使用14C作为低级示踪剂的使用会产生巨大影响。提出的方法是独一无二的，将允许进行超越最先进的开创性科学。看不见的建立了一个独特的跨学科研究团队，该团队将相关的专业知识整合在环境分析化学，放射化学和离子束物理学方面。