A multi-compartment monitoring approach to assess the impact of marine litter in a Mediterranean coastal area.

Marine litter, particularly microplastics, is a growing threat to the Mediterranean Sea, impacting biodiversity and ecosystem health. However, most studies conducted in the Mediterranean Sea have focused on monitoring of only specific environmental compartments, and rarely have highlighted the overall impacts affecting an area. Therefore, using a new multi-compartment monitoring approach and a standardized methodology, this study investigates the abundance, distribution, composition and impact of marine litter on beaches, surface waters, fish and mussels in a coastal area of Tuscany (Italy).

Plasticizers levels in four fish species from the Ligurian Sea and Central Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea) and potential risk for human consumption.

Plastic materials contain additives such as plasticizers and flame retardants, which are not covalently bound to plastic polymers and can therefore be unintentionally released into the marine environment. This study investigated three families of compounds, phthalates (PAEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), and non-phthalate plasticizers (NPPs) currently used as plastic additives, in 48 muscle samples of bogue (Boops boops), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), red mullet (Mullus barbatus), and European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) sampled in the Central Adriatic and the Ligurian Seas. The additional goal of this study is to assess the potential risk to human health from fish consumption with the objective of determining whether the detected levels might potentially pose a concern.

Paraffin waxes in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea: A comprehensive assessment in the Pelagos Sanctuary, a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance.

Paraffin waxes are widely recognized as emerging marine pollutants, even their classification by the recent monitoring programs and the knowledge of their occurrence, and sources of contamination in marine ecosystems are poorly defined and reported. Wax presence and distribution have been evaluated in different environmental compartments in the Pelagos Sanctuary (Mediterranean Sea) floating on the sea surface and stranded on beaches, focussing on their characterization, accumulation areas and pollution inputs. More than 2500 yellow paraffin residues were detected and analysed in the study area showing a prevailing dimension smaller than 5 mm.

Spatial distribution and characteristics of plastic pollution in the salt marshes of Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina.

This study delves into the magnitude and attributes of plastic pollution in the salt marshes of the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina, with a specific focus on its spatial distribution. The investigation included the evaluation of microplastics (1-5 mm), mesoplastics (5-25 mm) and macroplastics (25-100 mm), discovering elevated levels along the high salt marsh strandline compared to low salt marsh and mudflat areas. Notably, the abundance of plastic reached staggering levels, reaching up to 20,060 items/m in the vicinity of an illegal dumpsite.