Toxicity assessment of plastic materials
This is a suggestion for a Degree Project for Bachelor's and Master's levels at the Department of Marine Sciences. Degree projects at the Department of Marine Sciences are done independently and must be written and assessed individually.
Main topic: Marine Biology
Level: Bachelor’s or Master’s students
Contact: Bethanie Carney Almroth
Project description
Plastic products may contain hundreds of chemicals, some of which are known to be toxic. Previous studies have shown that exposure to microplastics can have deleterious effects on invertebrates and fish species, including oxidative stress induction, DNA damages, hepatotoxicity, feeding behavior, impacts on cellular energy allocation, effects on reproduction and mortality.
The aim of the project
The aim of this project is to assess and compare the toxicity of different types of plastic polymers and/or plastic-associated chemicals, by studying the effects of different plastic products and/or plastic extracts on model aquatic organisms.
The student will be in charge of conducting bioassays on invertebrate and/or fish species. The main tasks will consist in exposing organisms to the test materials, sampling, sample analysis (incl. t.ex. biochemistry, histology, gene expression analysis, teratogenicity, effects at the individual level: survival, growth), data analysis and result interpretation.
Contact
Bethanie Carney Almroth
Email: bethanie.carney@bioenv.gu.se