Extent and risks of microplastic pollution in the Yangtze River. State of the science.

The Yangtze River (YR) is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, and is recognized as one of the most microplastic-polluted rivers globally. However, to date, no consistent and systematic risk assessment has been conducted for the YR basin or other rivers in China. Previous assessments of microplastic occurrence, distribution, or risks in the YR basin did not take into account the sometimes-limited quality of the data or compared incomparable data, which can lead to biased assessments.

A monitoring and data analysis method for microplastics in marine sediments.

In Europe, policy frameworks demand the monitoring of microplastics in marine sediments. Here we provide a monitoring and data analysis method for microplastic particles designed to be used in the context of Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and OSPAR policy frameworks. Microplastics were analysed in marine sediments at four different locations in Dutch coastal and transitional waters using replicate sampling to investigate micro-spatial variation.

Characterizing the multidimensionality of microplastics across environmental compartments.

Understanding the multidimensionality of microplastics is essential for a realistic assessment of the risks these particles pose to the environment and human health. Here, we capture size, shape, area, polymer, volume and mass characteristics of >60,000 individual microplastic particles as continuous distributions. Particles originate from samples taken from different aquatic compartments, including surface water and sediments from the marine and freshwater environment, waste water effluents, and freshwater organisms.

Automated μFTIR Imaging Demonstrates Taxon-Specific and Selective Uptake of Microplastic by Freshwater Invertebrates.

Microplastic particles can be deposited to sediments and subsequently ingested by benthic organisms. It is unknown to what extent ingestion of microplastic is taxon-specific or whether taxa can be selective toward certain types of microplastics. Here, we used state-of-the-art automated micro-Fourier-transform infrared (μFTIR) imaging and attenuated total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy to determine small-size (20-500 μm) and large-size (500-5000 μm) microplastic particles in sediments and a range of benthic invertebrate species sampled simultaneously from the Dommel River in the Netherlands.

A systems approach to understand microplastic occurrence and variability in Dutch riverine surface waters.

Assessment methods on data quality and environmental variability are lacking for microplastics (MP). Here we assess occurrence and variability of MP number concentrations in two Dutch rivers. Strict QA/QC procedures were applied to identify MP using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy followed by state of the art automated image analysis.