Plasticiser in the UK terrestrial environment: occurrence and bioaccumulation?

研究人员和公众都意识到了塑料污染的潜在问题。鸟类、哺乳动物和其他有魅力的物种被塑料缠住并吃东西的画面，引发了人们对我们挥霍塑料的极大担忧。塑料污染的问题可能比我们之前意识到的更有害。除了聚合物本身(PET、PVC等)，塑料还含有有机和金属添加剂的混合物，这些添加剂本身就是有毒的。我们需要了解这些塑料添加剂对塑料有害影响的程度。本课程将结合实地考察、实验和化学分析，以确定常见塑料添加剂化学物质的分布、在土壤中的持久性、土壤生物吸收和生物积累。与一个在陆地和淡水塑料污染方面具有开创性工作的团队合作，这名学生将1。确定接受垃圾和塑料污染废物的土壤中塑料相关化学物质的流行度。2.表征增塑剂在不同聚合物中的浸出率。建立塑料伴生化学品在土壤中的降解率。研究蚯蚓体内塑料相关化学物质的摄取作为食物链转移的指标。5.研究塑料添加剂在提交死后监测方案的秃鹫组织中的存在和生物积累。该项目将由CEH的沃林福德和兰开斯特遗址以及兰开斯特大学(学位授予机构)主办。除了核心研究技能(统计、科学写作等)培训外，学生还将接受生态毒理学、使用GC-MS和LC-MS进行化学分析、毒物动力学建模和空间数据分析方面的培训。所有领域的专业知识在一系列研究和行业环境中都有很高的需求。学生还将有机会与英国、欧洲和世界各地从事类似课题的研究人员合作，同时执行他们的研究。

Researchers and the public are aware of the potential issues of plastic pollution. Images of birds, mammals and other charismatic species entangled in and eating plastics have created great concern about our profligate plastic use. The problem with plastic pollution may be more pernicious than we have previously realised. As well as the polymers themselves (PET, PVC etc.), plastics also contain a cocktail of organic and metal additives that are themselves known to be toxic. We need to understand the extent to which these plastic additives contribute to the harmful effects of plastics. This studentship will combine fieldwork, experimentation and chemical analysis to identify the distribution, persistence in soil, uptake by soil organisms and bioaccumulation of common plastic additive chemicals. Working with a team who have pioneered work on terrestrial and freshwater plastic pollution the student will.1. Identify the prevalence of plastic associated chemicals in soils receiving litter and plastic contaminated wastes. 2. Characterise plasticizer leaching rates from different polymers.3. Establish the degradation rates of plastic associated chemicals in soil.4. Investigate plastic associated chemical uptake in earthworms as an indication of food chain transfer. 5. Investigate the occurrence and bioaccumulation of plastic additives in the tissues of common buzzards submitted post-mortem to a monitoring scheme. The project will be hosted CEH's Wallingford and Lancaster sites and Lancaster University (the degree awarding body). As well as training in core research skills (statistic, scientific writing etc.), the student will receive training in ecotoxicology, chemical analysis using GC-MS and LC-MS, toxicokinetic modelling and spatial data analysis. All areas of expertise in high demand in a range of research and industry settings. The student will also have opportunities to collaborate with researcher working on similar topics in the UK, Europe and Worldwide while executing their research.