Effects of polycaprolactone degradation products on the water flea, Daphnia magna: Carbodiimide additives have acute and chronic toxicity

In this study, we investigated the biological toxicity of substances generated during degradation of polycaprolactone (PCL), a common biodegradable plastic, using the indicator organism,Daphnia magna. We examined PCL, oligocaprolactones (OCLs), and monomers resulting from polymer cleavage, as well as carbodiimides, added during polyester synthesis. As a result, PCL, which is insoluble in water, reduced individual survival and total number of offspring at an exposure concentration of 100  mg/L, while no toxicity was observed for water-soluble degradation products, OCLs, and monomers. Furthermore, carbodiimides, which are expected to be released during PCL degradation, showed strong toxicity, significantly reducing individual survival and total number of offspring at 0.1–10 mg/L . These findings suggest that changes in physical properties due to polymer degradation and release of additives can significantly alter their toxicity.
Source: Journal of Applied Toxicology - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research