Microplastics and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Analysis in Sea Turtles and Bottlenose Dolphins along Mississippi’s Coast

Chanaka M. Navarathna; Hannah Pray; Prashan M. Rodrigo; Beatrice Arwenyo; Cassidy McNeely; Henry Reynolds; Natalie Hampton; Katherine Lape; Katie Roman; Maddie Heath; Sean Stokes; Sameera R. Gunatilake; Gombojav Ariunbold; Felio Perez; Rooban V. K. G. Thirumalai; EI Barbary Hassan; Islam Elsayed; Dinesh Mohan; Ashli Brown; Debra Moore; Stephen Reichley; Mark Lawrence; Todd E. Mlsna

doi:10.3390/analytica4010003

Analytica (Jan 2023)

Microplastics and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Analysis in Sea Turtles and Bottlenose Dolphins along Mississippi’s Coast

Chanaka M. Navarathna,
Hannah Pray,
Prashan M. Rodrigo,
Beatrice Arwenyo,
Cassidy McNeely,
Henry Reynolds,
Natalie Hampton,
Katherine Lape,
Katie Roman,
Maddie Heath,
Sean Stokes,
Sameera R. Gunatilake,
Gombojav Ariunbold,
Felio Perez,
Rooban V. K. G. Thirumalai,
EI Barbary Hassan,
Islam Elsayed,
Dinesh Mohan,
Ashli Brown,
Debra Moore,
Stephen Reichley,
Mark Lawrence,
Todd E. Mlsna

Affiliations

Chanaka M. Navarathna: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Hannah Pray: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Prashan M. Rodrigo: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Beatrice Arwenyo: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Cassidy McNeely: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Henry Reynolds: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Natalie Hampton: Department of Biological Sciences, Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS 39174, USA
Katherine Lape: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Katie Roman: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Maddie Heath: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Sean Stokes: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Sameera R. Gunatilake: College of Chemical Sciences, Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Rajagiriya 10100, Sri Lanka
Gombojav Ariunbold: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Felio Perez: Material Science Lab, Integrated Microscopy Center, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
Rooban V. K. G. Thirumalai: Institute of Imaging and Analytic Technology (I2AT), Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
EI Barbary Hassan: Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University, Box 9820, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Islam Elsayed: Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University, Box 9820, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Dinesh Mohan: School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
Ashli Brown: Department of Biochemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Debra Moore: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Stephen Reichley: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Mark Lawrence: Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Todd E. Mlsna: Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/analytica4010003
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 4, no. 1
pp. 12 – 26

Abstract

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Global plastic production and usage has increased annually for decades and microplastic pollutants (≤5 mm) are a growing concern. Microplastics in surface waters can adsorb and desorb harmful chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Microplastics can accumulate across all tropic levels in the marine food web. The purpose of this research was to analyze the stomach and intestinal contents of stranded (Mississippi coast) bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles for the presence of microplastics and commonly found PFAS, PFOS, PFOA, and GenX. Gut contents were digested (10% KOH in 50% MeOH) and then analyzed for microplastics using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyro-GC-MS), Nile red microscopy, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Digested sample filtrate was pre-concentrated using solid-phase extraction (SPE) before PFAS liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The PFOS extraction and analysis had 98.6% recovery when validated with certified pike‒perch fish reference material. The Nile red testing on most samples revealed the presence of microplastics (Table S1). The Pyro-GC-MS results from two samples confirmed the presence of the plasticizer acetamide. The Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated characteristic plastic peaks corresponding to polystyrene in one sample. PFOS (95.5 to 1,934.5 µg/kg) was detected in three dolphin stomach samples. This project is part of a long-term study with the goal of a better understanding of microplastics and PFAS environmental contamination and their impact on bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles.

Published in Analytica

ISSN: 2673-4532 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Analytical chemistry
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/analytica

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