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Environmental problems - Chemical approaches
RESEARCH FRONT (Open Access)

Plasticisers in the terrestrial environment: sources, occurrence and fate

Alex Billings https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8042-5599 A B D , Kevin C. Jones B , M. Glória Pereira A and David J. Spurgeon C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK.

B Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.

C UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK.

D Corresponding author. Email: alebil@ceh.ac.uk




Alex Billings completed his degree at the University of York in 2016, graduating with an MChem in chemistry. He is currently studying for his PhD in environmental science at Lancaster University, where he is part of the Organic Chemistry group at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. His research interests include the environmental distribution and fate of microplastics and plastic additives, in addition to their ecotoxicology in invertebrates.



Kevin Jones obtained his degree in environmental science and PhD in environmental chemistry from London University. He joined Lancaster University in 1985. He helped establish the Lancaster Environment Centre, serving as its Director. He is a Distinguished Professor in environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology, specialising in the global fate and behaviour of persistent organic pollutants and chemicals management.



Dr M. Glória Pereira is the Head of the Centralised Chemistry Laboratories at UKCEH and the Head of the NEIF Lancaster Node. The team comprises 17 environmental chemists who carry out metals, nutrients, isotopes and organic analyses and the labs have ISO17025:2017 accreditation. Her research focuses on persistent organic pollutants at environmental levels as well as the identification of emerging compounds that can pose a risk to the environment, wildlife and humans.



Professor David Spurgeon’s research focuses on understanding the ecotoxicological effects of contaminants, including metals, nanomaterials, microplastics, persistent organic pollutants and pesticides, on invertebrate species. His current projects include research to investigate the mechanistic effects of pesticide mixtures for terrestrial species, nanomaterial risk assessment, microplastics and plasticiser detection in soils and freshwater and groundwater risks for trace pollutants, plasticisers and plant protection products.

Environmental Chemistry 18(3) 111-130 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN21033
Submitted: 16 March 2021  Accepted: 7 July 2021   Published: 30 July 2021

Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2021 Open Access CC BY

Environmental context. Many human activities cause the release of plastic and associated plasticisers to land, where chemicals may persist for extended periods and be taken up by organisms. However, quantitative information of the terrestrial occurrence, fate and exposure of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticisers is lacking. Research into this field is needed, especially as society moves away from phthalates to the next generation of plasticisers which may themselves represent an emerging risk.

Abstract. Modern society is widely dependent upon plastic. Therefore, it is unsurprising that macro- and microplastic pollution is found in every environmental compartment on earth. Plasticisers are chemicals added to plastics to increase their flexibility. Like plastics themselves, plasticisers are also widely present in the environment. Plasticisers and plastic debris may undergo long-range transport in the atmosphere and the oceans, contaminating even the most remote areas of land. In addition, although plasticisers typically degrade in a matter of weeks–months, they can persist in soil for decades and have been shown to occur in all land uses studied. Some plasticisers are genotoxic and can be taken up by soil organisms, which may pose a risk to ecosystems and human health. To date the majority of data on plasticisers exists for phthalates. However, plasticisers are a diverse range of chemicals and with the increasing transfer to non-phthalate alternatives, research into the fate and effects of emerging plasticisers is required to determine their environmental risk and management options. Data on the occurrence and ecotoxicity of emerging plasticisers, in addition to the impacts of all plasticisers on terrestrial ecosystems, therefore, remain a key research need within the wider plastics debate.

Keywords: plasticiser, soil, phthalate, microplastic, nanoplastic, plastic, terrestrial, plastic pollution, hazard, litter.


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