ASSESSING THE RISK OF BIOACCUMULATION OF MICRO-PLASTICS AND HEAVY METAL NANOPARTICLES FOR FRESH-WATER UNICELLULAR ORGANISMS PARAMECIUM CAUDATUM И TETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILE

Abstract

Large-scale use of micro-plastics and nanomaterial is prone with environmental pollution and therefore raises serious concerns. Research has shown that micro-plastics modulate the toxicity of heavy metals. We have studied the combined effects of micro-polyethylene (300 µm powder) and of nanoparticles of heavy metal oxides on the conditions of freshwater unicellular organisms Paramecium caudatum and Tetrahymena thermophila. The results suggest that the toxicity of the nanoparticles of oxides of copper (20–60 nm), zinc (40–60 nm) and molybdenum (5–20 nm) increase when they interact with micro-polyethylene.