Analysis of Virgin Microplastic Toxicity on Echinometra lucunter under Simulated Ocean Acidification Conditions Francisco Eduardo Melo dos Santos, Gabrielli Roldan Medeiros, Caio Rodrigues Nobre, Paloma Kachel Gusso Choueri

Abstract

Ocean acidification, caused by the increase in atmospheric CO2, reduces the pH of the oceans, directly affecting marine ecosystems. This phenomenon is even more worrying in contaminated environments, as the responses of organisms are often difficult to predict. In this context, this work aims to evaluate the toxicity of virgin microparticles (PMs) at different pHs (simulating a future scenario of ocean acidification). For this purpose, Echinometra lucunter embryos were exposed to an environmental concentration of PMs (5 mg/L) at 3 different pHs (8.2, 7.6 and 7.2). The results demonstrate that PMs increase toxicity in acidification situations, probably by leaching the materials from their composition.