Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sinks
04 Oct 2011-Environmental Science & Technology (American Chemical Society)-Vol. 45, Iss: 21, pp 9175-9179
TL;DR: It is shown that microplastic contaminates the shorelines at 18 sites worldwide representing six continents from the poles to the equator, with more material in densely populated areas, but no clear relationship between the abundance of miocroplastics and the mean size-distribution of natural particulates.
Abstract: Plastic debris 1900 fibers per wash. This suggests that a large proportion of microplastic fibers found in the marine environment may be derived from sewage as a consequence of washing of clothes. As the human population grows and people use more synthetic textiles, contamination of habitats and animals by microplastic is likely to increase.
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TL;DR: The conclusions show that estuaries are severely affected by microplastic pollution; the accumulation of microplastics and adsorption of contaminants by micro Plastics could also lead to serious risks besides ingestion; there are few technologies that can efficiently remove microplastically pollution in sewage treatment plants.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigated potential ingestion pathways of microplastics in an important pelagic food web in coastal British Columbia, Canada between March and September 2019, and completed repeat surveys of water, zooplankton, and larval Pacific herring Clupea pallasii at 11 locations in Baynes Sound, Strait of Georgia.
Abstract: Microplastic particles (hereafter 'microplastics') are a widespread class of pollutants in marine environments that can become embedded in food webs. Due to their diverse composition and size, microplastics can enter food webs both directly through consumption and indirectly via trophic transfer. In this study, we investigated potential ingestion pathways of microplastics in an important pelagic food web in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Between March and September 2019, we completed repeat surveys of water, zooplankton, and larval Pacific herring Clupea pallasii at 11 locations in Baynes Sound, Strait of Georgia. Five zooplankton taxa were isolated from each zooplankton sample for specific analysis. Juvenile herring were sampled once in September. Samples were cold-digested with KOH or H 2 O 2 and suspected microplastics isolated. Suspected microplastics were confirmed using μ-Raman spectroscopy and were subsequently identified from the collected samples. The average microplastic concentration in surface waters was 0.59 microplastic particles l -1 , and no clear spatial pattern was evident. Average microplastic particle loads were 0.0007 ind. -1 in zooplankton, 0.0017 ind. -1 in larval herring, and 0.089 ind. -1 in juvenile herring. There was a clear difference in the biological:microplastic particle ratio across size fractions (125-250, 250-500, 500-1000, 1000-2000, 2000-4000 µm) in the water column. In size classes <1000 µm, biological particles outnumbered microplastic particles by up to 4 orders of magnitude, whereas for size classes >1000 µm, the ratio decreased to nearly 1. Zooplanktivorous consumers like juvenile herring are more likely to consume microplastics than prey since the ratio of microplastic particles >1000 µm to potential food, and therefore encounter rate, is higher.
6 citations
03 Dec 2020
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a survey at the sea waters of Dumai, Riau province, Indonesia, and found that the abundance of microplastic in seawater samples ranges from 333,3333-456,6667 particles/m3, while the abundance in Senangin fish (E. tetradactylum) is 966, 6667-1933,3333 particles/Ind.
Abstract: The research was conducted on November 2019 with sampling at the sea waters of Dumai, Riau province. Further, analysis samples in the Marine Chemistry’s Laboratory on Marine Sciences Department in Fisheries and Marine Faculty University of Riau. Method used method of survey. The form of data collection is the primary data obtained from survey activities and observation data from samples that have been analyzed in the laboratory. The results of the study showed that the type of microplastic found in sea water and Senangin (E. Tetradactylum) is a type of microplastic fiber, fragments, and film. Microplastic pellet type was not finding in this research. The abundance of microplastics in seawater samples ranges from 333,3333-456,6667 particles/m3, while the abundance of microplastics in Senangin fish (E. tetradactylum) is 966,6667-1933,3333 particles/Ind.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors identified the laundering of synthetic fabrics as an important and diffuse source of microplastic fiber contamination to wastewater systems, and quantified metal(loid) sorption onto various microplastics.
Abstract: The laundering of synthetic fabrics has been identified as an important and diffuse source of microplastic (<5 mm) fibre contamination to wastewater systems. Home laundering can release up to 13 million fibres per kg of fabric, which end up in wastewater treatment plants. During treatment, 72-99% of microplastics are retained in the residual sewage sludge, which can contain upwards of 56 000 microplastics per kg. Sewage sludge is commonly disposed of by application to agricultural land as a soil amendment. In some European countries, application rates are up to 91%, representing an important pathway for microplastics to enter the terrestrial environment, which urgently requires quantification. Sewage sludge also often contains elevated concentrations of metals and metalloids, and some studies have quantified metal(loid) sorption onto various microplastics. The sorption of metals and metalloids is strongly influenced by the chemical properties of the sorbate, the solution chemistry, and the physicochemical properties of the microplastics themselves. Plastic-water partition coefficients for the sorption of cadmium, mercury and lead onto microplastics are up to 8, 32, and 217 mL g-1 respectively. Sorptive capacities of microplastics may increase over time, due to environmental degradation processes increasing the specific surface area and surface density of oxygen-containing functional groups. A range of metal(loid)s, including cadmium, chromium, and zinc, have been shown to readily desorb from microplastics under acidic conditions. Sorbed metal(loid)s may therefore become more bioavailable to soil organisms when the microplastics are ingested, due to the acidic gut conditions facilitating desorption. Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) should be of particular focus for future research, as few quantitative sorption studies currently exist, it is potentially overlooked from density separation studies due to its high density, and it is by far the most widely used fibre in apparel textiles production.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the PET and DEHP levels in surface sediments and sediment cores from the coastal area of Bohai Bay were investigated and the results showed that the PET levels in Bohai bay were low risk evaluated by the potential ecological risk assessment, using the environmental risk limits, risk quotient, threshold effect level and probable effect level methods.
6 citations
References
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TL;DR: It is shown that microscopic plastic fragments and fibers are also widespread in the marine environment and may persist for centuries.
Abstract: Millions of metric tons of plastic are produced annually. Countless large items of plastic debris are accumulating in marine habitats worldwide and may persist for centuries ([ 1 ][1]–[ 4 ][2]). Here we show that microscopic plastic fragments and fibers ([Fig. 1A][3]) are also widespread in the
4,067 citations
TL;DR: Global plastics production and the accumulation of plastic waste are documented, showing that trends in mega- and macro-plastic accumulation rates are no longer uniformly increasing and that the average size of plastic particles in the environment seems to be decreasing.
Abstract: One of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet is the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics. Within just a few decades since mass production of plastic...
4,044 citations
TL;DR: Model calculations and experimental observations consistently show that polyethylene accumulates more organic contaminants than other plastics such as polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride, and PCBs could transfer from contaminated plastics to streaked shearwater chicks.
Abstract: Plastics debris in the marine environment, including resin pellets, fragments and microscopic plastic fragments, contain organic contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides (2,2′-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane, hexachlorinated hexanes), polybrominated diphenylethers, alkylphenols and bisphenol A, at concentrations from sub ng g–1 to µg g–1. Some of these compounds are added during plastics manufacture, while others adsorb from the surrounding seawater. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants adsorbed on plastics showed distinct spatial variations reflecting global pollution patterns. Model calculations and experimental observations consistently show that polyethylene accumulates more organic contaminants than other plastics such as polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride. Both a mathematical model using equilibrium partitioning and experimental data have demonstrated the transfer of contaminants from plastic to organisms. A feeding experiment indicated that PCBs could transfer from contaminated plastics to streaked shearwater chicks. Plasticizers, other plastics additives and constitutional monomers also present potential threats in terrestrial environments because they can leach from waste disposal sites into groundwater and/or surface waters. Leaching and degradation of plasticizers and polymers are complex phenomena dependent on environmental conditions in the landfill and the chemical properties of each additive. Bisphenol A concentrations in leachates from municipal waste disposal sites in tropical Asia ranged from sub µg l–1 to mg l–1 and were correlated with the level of economic development.
2,114 citations
TL;DR: Current understanding of the benefits and concerns surrounding the use of plastics are synthesized, and future priorities, challenges and opportunities are looked to.
Abstract: Plastics have transformed everyday life; usage is increasing and annual production is likely to exceed 300 million tonnes by 2010. In this concluding paper to the Theme Issue on Plastics, the Environment and Human Health, we synthesize current understanding of the benefits and concerns surrounding the use of plastics and look to future priorities, challenges and opportunities. It is evident that plastics bring many societal benefits and offer future technological and medical advances. However, concerns about usage and disposal are diverse and include accumulation of waste in landfills and in natural habitats, physical problems for wildlife resulting from ingestion or entanglement in plastic, the leaching of chemicals from plastic products and the potential for plastics to transfer chemicals to wildlife and humans. However, perhaps the most important overriding concern, which is implicit throughout this volume, is that our current usage is not sustainable. Around 4 per cent of world oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics and a similar amount is used as energy in the process. Yet over a third of current production is used to make items of packaging, which are then rapidly discarded. Given our declining reserves of fossil fuels, and finite capacity for disposal of waste to landfill, this linear use of hydrocarbons, via packaging and other short-lived applications of plastic, is simply not sustainable. There are solutions, including material reduction, design for end-of-life recyclability, increased recycling capacity, development of bio-based feedstocks, strategies to reduce littering, the application of green chemistry life-cycle analyses and revised risk assessment approaches. Such measures will be most effective through the combined actions of the public, industry, scientists and policymakers. There is some urgency, as the quantity of plastics produced in the first 10 years of the current century is likely to approach the quantity produced in the entire century that preceded.
2,006 citations
TL;DR: The data indicate as plastic fragments into smaller particles, the potential for accumulation in the tissues of an organism increases and further work using a wider range of organisms, polymers, and periods of exposure will be required to establish the biological consequences of this debris.
Abstract: Plastics debris is accumulating in the environment and is fragmenting into smaller pieces; as it does, the potential for ingestion by animals increases. The consequences of macroplastic debris for wildlife are well documented, however the impacts of microplastic (< 1 mm) are poorly understood. The mussel, Mytilus edulis, was used to investigate ingestion, translocation, and accumulation of this debris. Initial experiments showed that upon ingestion, microplastic accumulated in the gut. Mussels were subsequently exposed to treatments containing seawater and microplastic (3.0 or 9.6 microm). After transfer to clean conditions, microplastic was tracked in the hemolymph. Particles translocated from the gut to the circulatory system within 3 days and persisted for over 48 days. Abundance of microplastic was greatest after 12 days and declined thereafter. Smaller particles were more abundant than larger particles and our data indicate as plastic fragments into smaller particles, the potential for accumulation in the tissues of an organism increases. The short-term pulse exposure used here did not result in significant biological effects. However, plastics are exceedingly durable and so further work using a wider range of organisms, polymers, and periods of exposure will be required to establish the biological consequences of this debris.
1,708 citations