Web Release Date: December 8,
Plastic Resin Pellets as a Transport Medium for Toxic Chemicals in the Marine Environment
and
Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan, Tokyo University of Fisheries, Minatoku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan, and Division of Chem-Bio Informatics, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
Received for review February 28, 2000
Revised manuscript received October 10, 2000
Accepted October 23, 2000
Abstract:
Plastic resin pellets (small granules 0.1-0.5 centimeters
in diameter) are widely distributed in the ocean all over the
world. They are an industrial raw material for the plastic
industry and are unintentionally released to the environment
both during manufacturing and transport. They are
sometimes ingested by seabirds and other marine organisms,
and their adverse effects on organisms are a concern.
In the present study, PCBs, DDE, and nonylphenols (NP)
were detected in polypropylene (PP) resin pellets collected
from four Japanese coasts. Concentrations of PCBs (4-117 ng/g), DDE (0.16-3.1 ng/g), and NP (0.13-16 
g/g) varied
among the sampling sites. These concentrations were
comparable to those for suspended particles and bottom
sediments collected from the same area as the pellets. Field
adsorption experiments using PP virgin pellets demonstrated
significant and steady increase in PCBs and DDE
concentrations throughout the six-day experiment,
indicating that the source of PCBs and DDE is ambient
seawater and that adsorption to pellet surfaces is
the mechanism of enrichment. The major source of NP in
the marine PP resin pellets was thought to be plastic
additives and/or their degradation products. Comparison
of PCBs and DDE concentrations in marine PP resin pellets
with those in seawater suggests their high degree of
accumulation (apparent adsorption coefficient: 105-106).
The high accumulation potential suggests that plastic resin
pellets serve as both a transport medium and a potential
source of toxic chemicals in the marine environment.
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