Due to increasing production and usage of plastic, the amount of plastic in the environment grows every year. One of the biggest problems connected to plastic waste is generation of microplastics. This are plastic particles, smaller than 1 mm. They can enter the environment through a variety of pathways, however the most common are inappropriate waste treatment or discharging wastewaters into oceans and freshwaters. The problem is not just microplastic particles and their mechanical effect, but also substances that can be leached out from microplastics. These are different chemicals, that are part of plastic structure or substances that have been adsorbed on them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of microplastics leachates on growth of duckweed Lemna minor, length of their roots and content of chlorophyll. Five different microplastics (microplastics from personal care product, synthetic fibre, plastic bag, ground bakelite and plastic bottle) as well as natural particles (beech saw dust) were tested. None of the microplastics leachates had impact on specific growth rate and chlorophyll content, however leachates from bakelite had impact on the length of the roots.
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