From road to sea: Exploring the biological effects of tyre particles in marine invertebrates. (Ref:4293)

项目背景：轮胎磨损颗粒是由于合成橡胶轮胎在路面上的磨损而产生的人为颗粒。据估计，全球每年释放的轮胎磨损颗粒超过340万吨。这些颗粒物可进入空气中或进入公路排水系统，通常导致它们沉积在自然海洋环境中。轮胎含有高浓度不稳定的添加剂，包括氧化锌、抗氧化剂和增塑剂，在渗滤液研究中已被证明是有毒的，然而，轮胎颗粒本身带来的风险不那么明显，也不清楚轮胎“更环保”的迭代是否会证明对水生生物的毒性更小。项目目标和方法：在这个博士学位中，你将进行开创性的生态毒理学研究，探索轮胎颗粒毒性的机理，以期通过设计确定更绿色、更安全的轮胎选择。这项计划中的工作旨在改善我们对轮胎磨损颗粒构成的风险的预测，与理解人类应激源影响生物体的基本方式具有更广泛的相关性。博士学位将解决首要的研究问题，即“轮胎颗粒毒性的物理化学驱动因素是什么？替代轮胎成分能否证明毒性较小？”在整个项目中，你将与监督团队合作，共同开发生态毒理学研究，以评估不同轮胎颗粒的相对毒性，包括“更环保”的变种。暴露研究将使用具有代表性的、具有完全特征的轮胎磨损颗粒，以及具有生态重要性的海洋无脊椎动物，如远洋桡足类Calanus helgolandicus和底栖贻贝Mytilus edulis。您将考虑轮胎颗粒和轮胎渗滤液对生物层次(如免疫反应、生殖终点)一系列生物标记物的不利风险，以阐明潜在的作用模式和不利结果途径。最近，可以使用一种有针对性的逐个化学方法来比较“高风险”添加剂和潜在替代品的毒性，为轮胎行业未来的低风险化学物质铺平道路。

Project Background:Tyre wear particles are anthropogenic particulates that stem from the abrasion of synthetic rubber tyres onroad surfaces. It is estimated that over 3.4 million tonnes of tyre wear particles are released globally eachyear. These particles can become airborne or enter highway drainage systems, often resulting in theirdeposition within the natural marine environment. Tyres contain high concentrations of labile additives,including zinc oxide, antioxidants and plasticizers, that have proven toxic in leachate studies, however therisk posed by tyre particulates themselves is less evident, nor is it clear whether "greener" iterations of tyresmay prove any less toxic to aquatic biota.Project Aims and Methods:In this PhD, you will undertake pioneering ecotoxicological research to explore the mechanisms underpinningtyre particle toxicity, with a view to identifying greener, safer-by-design options for tyres. The planned workaims to improve our predictions of the risks posed by tyre wear particles, with wider relevance forunderstanding the fundamental ways in which anthropogenic stressors affect organisms. The PhD willaddress the overarching research question of "What are the physico-chemical drivers of tyre particle toxicityand might alternative tyre compositions prove less toxic?". Across the project, you will work with thesupervisory team to co-develop ecotoxicological studies to evaluate the relative toxicity of different tyreparticles, including "greener" variants. Exposure studies will use representative, fully-characterised tyre wearparticles, in combination with ecologically important marine invertebrates, such as the pelagic copepodCalanus helgolandicus and the epibenthic mussel Mytilus edulis.You will consider the adverse risk of tyreparticles and tyre leachates on a range of biomarkers across the biological hierarchy (e.g. immune response, reproductive endpoints) to elucidate potential modes of action and adverse outcome pathways. Latterly, a targeted, chemical-by-chemical approach can be used to compare the toxicity of "high risk" additives with potential alternatives, paving the way for a lower risk chemical future for the tyre industry.