Application of a non-targeted method for the analysis of chemical substance in marine plastic debris

Abstract

Large amounts of plastics produced worldwide accumulate in the ocean as marine litter every year. Plastics can absorb chemicals from its surrounding environment due to their hydrophobic properties. During production, additives are added to improve specific functions of plastics. Therefore, plastic debris can be a moving source of chemicals in marine environments, and these substances can be released from plastics and sorbed to marine organisms once ingested. To understand the impacts of plastic related chemicals on marine ecosystems, it is prerequisite to identify the chemicals contained in plastic debris. Targeted analysis to quantify specific residues has been mainly performed, and recently, non-target screening technique have begun to be applied to plastic debris. In this study, we applied non-target screening techniques based on high-resolution gas and liquid chromatography techniques to marine plastic debris. GC×GC-ToF and LC-qToF were used together to cover a wide range of compounds with different polarities. A variety of polar and non-polar substances (> 200) were detected in marine plastic debris, including fatty acids, alkanes, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, cyclic amides, alcohols, insecticides, aromatics, organic phosphorus and perfluorinated compounds. Plastic additives such as antioxidants, plasticizers, release agents, dyes, antifouling agents, and flame retardants appeared in a wide range of marine plastic samples. Intentionally added substances and their by-products are likely to be transferred from plastics to the marine environment, requiring further studies.