AI Article Synopsis
- Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in marine environments, yet their pollution characteristics and risk in estuarine sediments remain poorly understood.
- A study analyzed MPs in Liao Estuary and Daliao Estuary, revealing an average abundance of 32.33 to 49.91 items per kilogram of dry weight, with most being black and blue fibers in the 500-2000 μm range.
- The identified polymers included mostly rayon, with a pollution load index indicating that all sampling sites were at Hazard Level I, highlighting significant environmental risks from MPs in China's coastal areas.
Article Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in marine environments. The pollution characteristics and risk assessment of MPs in estuarine sediments are still insufficient. In this study, the MPs pollution characteristics in surface sediments of the Liao Estuary and Daliao Estuary were investigated. The characteristics of MPs in sediments were determined by stereo microscopy and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that the average MPs abundance ranged from 32.33 to 49.91 items·kg d.w. The MPs were mainly composed of 500-2000 μm black and blue fibers. Five polymer types were identified, including rayon (RA) (87.46 %), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (6.81 %), polyamide (PA) (2.94 %), polypropylene (PP) (2.17 %) and polyethylene (PE) (0.62 %). The pollution load index (PLI) risk assessment showed that all sampling sites were at Hazard Level I. Our results can provide useful information for assessing the environmental risks of MPs in coastal areas of China.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114505 | DOI Listing |
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