mgr Justyna Gorzkiewicz

ORCID: 0000-0003-0148-8119

The topic of my dissertation is "Toxicity of xenobiotics and microplastics to algae".

Nowadays, plastics are a big problem, causing enormous pollution of the environment. The production and consumption of plastic increases every year, which means that more and more plastics in the form of micro and / or nanoplastics are released into the environment. Due to its durability, there is an accumulation in individual elements of the environment and living organisms.

The presence of this type of micropollutants is a significant problem in the aquatic environment, affecting the organisms that live in it. In addition to the toxicity of the polymers or the additives they contain, microplastics are capable of collecting and compacting organic contaminants present in water. Microplastics can interact with other pollutants, including pesticides, with implications for potential threats to fauna and flora. The ability to adsorb pollutants onto microplastics may pose a risk to aquatic organisms and consequently induce significant ecotoxicological effects. Microplastic particles and stable xenobiotics (especially non-polar ones) susceptible to adsorption to microplastics can accumulate in subsequent elements of the trophic chain.

Issues related to the presence of microplastics in the environment are a new topic. Due to the very large number of pollutants and the interaction of these compounds with microplastics, there is a need to undertake research in this field.

Articles:

Gorzkiewicz, J.; Bartosz, G.; Sadowska-Bartosz, I. The Potential Effects of Phytoestrogens: The Role in Neuroprotection. Molecules 2021, 26, 2954. https://doi.org/10.3390/ molecules26102954
Ryszawy D., Podulka J., Tworzydło A., Tomassy J., Jarmulski M., Madeja Z. Korohoda W., Explant-Like Passaging of Cells Growing on Portable Substrata Permits the Avoidance of Enzyme Application and Facilitates the Passage Procedure. Folia Biologica (Kraków), vol. 67 (2019), No4, https://doi.org/10.3409/fb_67-4.17