EVALUATION OF THE ECOTOXICOLOGICAL EFFECT OF POLYESTER MICROFIBER ON THE EMBRYO-LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF ECHINOMETRA LUCUNTER

Abstract

Synthetic microfibers are harmful to aquatic organisms due to the various additives that are incorporated into them during the manufacturing process and because they are difficult to degrade. The hypothesis of this study is that the highest concentration (0.1) of microfiber has greater toxicity than the lowest concentration (0.0001). To carry out the experiment, the embryo-larval toxicity test of the sea urchin Echinometra lucunter was performed. The results show that the highest concentration of microfiber is more toxic than the lowest concentration for the embryo-larval development of E. lucunter, highlighting the need for public policies and more research related to the impacts of microfiber on the environment.

Keywords: Microfibers; Polyester; Echinometra lucunter; Toxicity; Fast-fashion.