The abstract of a July 12, 2022, Environmental Science: Nano article by researchers with the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and ETH Zurich https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/en/d2en00101b notes that “... Fundamental knowledge gaps on the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer and effects of nanoplastics in fresh waters limit the estimation of their ecological risks … we used stream periphyton … and an aquatic snail feeding on periphyton as a primary producer and a primary consumer. Importantly, we used metal-doped polystyrene nanoplastics … We demonstrated that periphyton efficiently accumulates and retains nanoplastics, which are consequently transferred to the grazers through dietary exposure although this did not lead to notable impacts on periphyton communities. Conversely, combined nanoplastics exposure and grazing pressure shifted community composition. Moreover, dietary exposure resulted in inhibited reproduction and reduced growth of the primary consumer, potentially leading to severe consequences for population dynamics due to trophic interactions in streams …” #MicroPlastics #NanoPlastics #Polystyrene #PlasticWaste #SingleUsePlastic @EawagResearch @ETH_en