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Increasing plastic pollution and its toxic effects towards living organisms is concerning not only the scientific community, but the whole world. With the increase of marine plastic debris, the impact of nano-sized plastic particles towards marine organisms is still not fully understood. The class size of nanoplastics (NPs) (1 – 100 nm) facilitates the entry through biological barriers, and accumulation of these NPs in marine organisms is crucial to understand, as NPs may serve as vectors for other contaminants. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a well-known biomarker used in marine organisms to understand the neurotoxic effects of contaminants, as the downregulation of this enzyme may cause changes to synaptic networks controlling heartbeats or muscle contraction. Furthermore, the ingestion of nanoplastics by mussels remains challenging to this date, therefore, the present study determined to assess the neurotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (nPS; 50 nm), at a concentration of 10 mg/L, on the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis by evaluating the activity of AChE in the gills, and ingestion of nPS was evaluated in the gonads of mussels after a 28-day in vivo exposure. Neurotoxicity occurred in the gills of mussels, with a downregulation of AChE observable after 3 and 7 days of exposure to nPS compared to unexposed mussels. However, prior to 14-days, statistical differences are noteworthy between unexposed mussels, making it challenging to arrive at a sound conclusion. The ingestion of nPS in the gonadal tissues of mussels decreases along the time of exposure. Whether this pattern is tissue-specific, or nano-size specific, or plastic-specific remains a mystery and further investigation is necessary to understand if mussels ingest, and if they do, do they egest and therefore explain results observed. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427515/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

Aquatic pollution caused by anthropogenic activities has been one of the major environmental problems worldwide for decades. Rapid industrialization and urbanization is releasing “traditional” and emerging pollutants into waters in unprecedented quantities and diversity, ultimately endangering biodiversity and human health. Meanwhile, the management and control of risks from chemical pollutants, with varying scientific composition, stringency, and efficacy, are being practiced in different countries and regions. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

International audience; Existing European observation tools and services have the potential to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies to obtain a wide range of data at a much higher spatial resolution and temporal regularity and duration. The EU-funded NAUTILOS project will develop a new generation of sensors and samplers for physical, chemical, and biological essential ocean variables in addition to micro-and nano-plastics. The project will improve our understanding of environmental variations and anthropogenic impacts connected with aquaculture, fi sheries, and marine litter. The project will integrate recently advanced marine technologies into different observing platforms and deploy them through innovative and cost-effective methods in a wide range of key environmental settings and EU policy-related applications. The project aims to complement and expand existing European observation instruments and services and further enable and democratise the monitoring of the marine environment for both traditional and non-traditional data users.; Les outils et services d'observation européens existants ont le potentiel de tirer parti des technologies de pointe pour obtenir un large éventail de données à une résolution spatiale et une régularité temporelle et une durée beaucoup plus élevées. Le projet NAUTILOS, financé par l'UE, développera une nouvelle génération de capteurs et d'échantillonneurs pour les variables océaniques essentielles physiques, chimiques et biologiques, en plus des micro- et nano-plastiques. Le projet améliorera notre compréhension des variations environnementales et des impacts anthropiques liés à l'aquaculture, aux pêcheries et aux déchets marins. Le projet intégrera des technologies marines récemment avancées dans différentes plateformes d'observation et les déploiera par le biais de méthodes innovantes et rentables dans un large éventail de contextes environnementaux clés et d'applications liées aux politiques de l'UE. Le projet vise à compléter et à étendre les instruments et services d'observation européens existants et à permettre et démocratiser davantage la surveillance de l'environnement marin pour les utilisateurs de données traditionnels et non traditionnels.

A Ria Formosa é um sistema lagunar que apresenta uma grande diversidade e complexidade estrutural, fornecendo serviços e benefícios valiosos para a região. No entanto, a presença de substâncias perigosas constitui um motivo de preocupação, pois pode colocar em perigo este sistema, sendo necessário uma gestão adequada, que permita a redução de pressões derivadas das atividades humanas, para uma melhor sustentabilidade futura deste ecossistema. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion