The combined toxicity test of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol on Daphnia magna

The combined toxicity test of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol on Daphnia magna . Globally, wide use of plastics and its increased production has led to a mounting amount of plastic waste entering the natural ecosystems. Due to their small size, plastic particles might be ingested by organisms at the lower end of the food chain and can be transferred by feeding to top consumers. Consequently, plastic pollution in aquatic environments and its potential impact on aquatic life has recently been recognized as an issue of considerable concern for ecosystem. I produced microplastics from 100% polyester thread from Houjix, cut it finely and used a dissecting needle to cut into a size of 5mm or less through a microscope. I also included ethylene glycol to investigate its toxic effects on D. magna . Since my aim was also to compare the toxicity effect of both chemicals, I used different concentrations individually and then in combinations to determine the potential toxic effects of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol (combined and separately) on the life (survival, death) of D. magna . Microplastics from 100% polyester thread from Houjix were produced, into a size of 5mm or less through a microscope. Tetra ethylene glycol was also used to investigate its toxic effects on D. magna. The toxicity effect of both chemicals using different concentrations individually and then in combinations were employed to determine the potential toxic effects of polyester and tetra ethylene glycol (combined and separately) on the life of D. magna . The study exhibited that the IC50 of TEG was higher as compared to polyester which suggests that polyester was more adverse than TEG. Moreover, when TEG and polyester were treated in combination, IC50 value was lower (Figure 3) than the IC50 value of TEG and polyester separately. In other words, the TEG and polyester in combination exhibited the lowest IC50 value in this study. These results suggest that TEG and polyester in combination had adverse effects on the growth and development of D. magna