Application of an enzyme digestion method reveals microlitter in Mytilus trossulus at a wastewater discharge area,

Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 130, May 2018, Pages 206-214, ISSN 0025-326X,

Abstract:

The ingestion of microlitter by blue mussels (450) was studied at a
wastewater recipient area in the Baltic Sea. The mussel soft tissues
were digested using enzymatic detergents and the detected litter
particles characterized with FT-IR imaging spectroscopy. Microlitter
concentration in seawater and WWTP effluent were also measured.
Microlitter was found in 66% of the mussels. Mussels from the WWTP
recipient had higher microlitter content compared to those collected at
the reference site. Plastics made up 8% of all the analysed microlitter
particles. The dominating litter types were fibres (~90% of all
microlitter), 42% of which were cotton, 17% linen, 17% viscose and 4%
polyester. The risk of airborne contamination during laboratory work was
lowered when mussels were digested with their shells on instead of
dissecting them first. The approach was found applicable and gentle to
both non-synthetic and synthetic materials including fragile fibres.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LawtDfKfLJWfxZOMZ5BcVI9cx3LVsUuD
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.022.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X1830167X)

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Microplastics in freshwater river sediments in Shanghai, China: A case study of risk assessment in mega-cities,

Environmental Pollution, Volume 234, 2018, Pages 448-456, ISSN 0269-7491,

Abstract:

Microplastics, which are plastic debris with a particle diameter of less than 5 mm, have attracted growing attention in recent years. Its widespread distributions in a variety of habitats have urged scientists to understand deeper regarding their potential impact on the marine living resources.
Most studies on microplastics hitherto are focused on the marine environment, and research on risk assessment
methodology is still limited. To understand the distribution of microplastics in urban rivers, this study investigated river sediments in Shanghai, the largest urban area in China.
Seven sites were sampled to ensure maximum coverage of the city’s central districts, and a tidal flat was also included to compare with river samples. Density separation, microscopic inspection and μ-FT-IR analysis were conducted to analyze the characteristics of microplastics and the type of polymers.
The average abundance of microplastics in six river sediment samples was 802 items per kilogram of dry weight. The abundance in rivers was one to two orders of magnitude higher than in the tidal flat. White microplastic spheres were most commonly distributed in river sediments. Seven types of microplastics were identified, of which
polypropylene was the most prevailing polymers presented.
The study then conducted risk assessment of microplastics in sediments based on the observed results, and proposed a framework of environmental risk assessment. After reviewing waste disposal related legislation and
regulations in China, this study conclude that in situ data and legitimate estimations should be incorporated as part of the practice when developing environmental policies aiming to tackle microplastic pollution.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KQy0_3mV4Bi0ymswMoWZlEvJXpycyjAy
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.034.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117332797)

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