Loggerhead sea turtle (C. caretta) is the official European bioindicator of marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea. In 2019, 8 sea turtles, out of 28 specimens loggerhead on the Adriatic coast of Molise, were subjected to necropsy. The intestinal contents were collected and the microplastics until 0.45 μm were extracted. Qualitative and quantitative assessments were performed by stereomicroscope observation and spectroscopic analyses (attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy, RMS). Moreover, the analytical quantification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), para phthalic acid (PTA) and bisphenol A (BPA) in fat and liver tissues was performed by LC-MS/MS. Microparticles ranging from 0.45 μm to 1 mm were found in all turtles, for a total of 623, while plastic litter greater than 1 mm were found only in 4 specimens (ranging from 0.03 to 0.11 g). Nineteen different polymers and 10 pigments, including polyester (100% of animals), high-density polyethylene (50%) and polypropylene (50%) were identified. BPA, PTA and PET were detected in fat and liver tissues of all animals, while PC was found only in 50%. A major prevalence was registered in the abdominal fat tissue, although only PC compounds were significantly higher in abdominal tissue (p < 0.05), except for free PTA with liver tissue being the most contaminated (p < 0.05). Microplastics and additives surely impact the health status of turtles that showed gastrointestinal impairment and an important level of contamination in tissues. Graphical abstract

In the present study, a 4-year surveillance plan for the detection of lipophilic marine biotoxins in Mytilus galloprovincialis and Callista chione from different aquaculture farms and natural beds along the Central Adriatic coasts of Croatia was reported. The samples were analyzed by a validated LC–MS/MS method in accordance with the Regulation (EU) No 2019/627. Lipophilic marine biotoxins belonging to the okadaic acid group, except for azaspiracids, as well as yessotoxins, were found at different concentrations, always below the maximum limits established by the Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. The seasonal distribution showed the highest values in summer months, and an interannual variability was also observed, probably due to environmental conditions aging on the density of harmful algal blooms. The comprehensive data reported in this study should help the future research in making advancing prediction models along the Eastern Adriatic coast.

Praćenjem stanja okoliša putem mjerenja sadržaja različitih onečišćujućih tvari (kontaminanata) u školjkašima ujedno se mogu pratiti biološke promjene i štetni učinci onečišćujućih tvari kojima su ti organizmi izloženi te se može procijeniti utjecaj ljudskih aktivnosti na određeni ekosustav. Akumulacija različitih onečišćujućih tvari u školjkašima namijenjenim za prehranu je stalna opasnost za ljude, kao potrošače na vrhu hranidbenog lanca. Mikroplastika je složeni kontaminant, koji uključuje vrlo širok skup čestica koje u procjeni rizika zbog njihove iznimne raznolikosti (veličina, oblik, topljivost, sastav polimera, adsorbirane kemikalije, biološki materijal, itd.) predstavljaju jedinstveni izazov. Glavni razlog opasnosti konzumacije školjkaša leži u biologiji njihovog organizma budući se oni hrane filtriranjem vode ili mora u kojem se uzgajaju ili prirodno žive, nakupljajući u svom organizmu različite tvari iz okoline. U razumijevanju kemijskog rizika mikroplastike koristi se model profila polimera, odnosno toksičnosti njihovih monomera. Nesumnjivo, analiza mikroplastike uključuje uz kemijsku karakterizaciju i određivanje ukupnog broja čestica kako bi se procijenila izloženost ljudi mikroplastici temeljem podataka o prehrambenim navikama ciljane populacije. U ovom radu dan je pregled literaturnih spoznaja o istraživanjima mikroplastike u dvoljušturnim mekušcima, kemijskoj karakterizaciji mikroplastike i pojavnosti u različitim vrstama školjkaša.