Initial Survey of Microplastics in Bottom Sediments from United States Waterways

Wilkens, Justin L.; McQueen, Andrew D.; LeMonte, Joshua J.; Suedel, Burton C.

doi:10.1007/s00128-019-02762-3

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…We found over two-thirds of studies (n = 120) that included a digestion step with H 2 O 2 , making it the most common digestant used in the microfiber literature. H 2 O 2 digestions have been applied to aquatic sediments (Yao et al 2019;Zhang et al 2019;Jeyasanta et al 2020), biota (Markic et al 2018;Ambrosini et al 2019;Avio et al 2020), water (Zhao et al 2019;Jiang et al 2020;Wilkens et al 2020), wastewater (Gündoğdu et al 2018Akarsu et al 2020), and sewage sludge/biosolids (Gies et al 2018;Li et al 2018). While the concentration, incubation temperature and digestion time vary throughout these studies, the most common concentration (v/v) of H 2 O 2 was 30% H 2 O 2 (n = 97), followed by <15% (n = 10) and >34.5% (n = 9).…”

Section: Accepted Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Are We Underestimating Anthropogenic Microfiber Pollution? A Critical Review of Occurrence, Methods, and Reporting

Athey

Erdle

2021

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

145

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Anthropogenic microfibers, a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, can be categorized as synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural according to material of origin and production process. Although natural fibers, such as cotton and wool, originated from natural sources, they often contain chemical additives, including colorants (e.g., dyes, pigments) and finishes (e.g., flame retardants, anti-microbial agents, UV-stabilizers).These additives are applied to textiles during production to give textiles desired properties This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Accepted Articlelike enhanced durability. Anthropogenically-modified 'natural' and semi-synthetic fibers are sufficiently persistent to undergo long-range transport and accumulate in the environment, where they are ingested by biota. Although most research and communication on microfibers has focused on the sources, pathways and effects of synthetic fibers in the environment, natural and semi-synthetic fibers warrant further investigation because of their abundance. Due to the challenges in enumerating and identifying natural and semi-synthetic fibers in environmental samples and the focus on microplastic or synthetic fibers, reports of anthropogenic microfibers in the environment may be underestimated. In this critical review, we (1) report that natural and semisynthetic microfibers are abundant, (2) highlight that some environmental compartments are relatively understudied in the microfiber literature, and (3) report which methods are suitable to enumerate and characterize the full suite of anthropogenic microfibers. We then use these findings to (4) recommend best practices to assess the abundance of anthropogenic microfibers in the environment, including natural and semi-synthetic fibers. By focusing exclusively on synthetic fibers in the environment, we are neglecting a major component of anthropogenic microfiber pollution.

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Section: Accepted Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Are We Underestimating Anthropogenic Microfiber Pollution? A Critical Review of Occurrence, Methods, and Reporting

Athey

Erdle

2021

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

145

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“…Eight studies specifically defined their film category, either by morphology or the likely source(s). Films characterized by their morphology were described as thin relative to their surface area, flat, flexible, typically irregularly shaped, and transparent (Anderson et al, 2017; Bujaczek et al, 2021; Felismino et al, 2021; McCormick et al, 2016; Wilkens et al, 2020). Yonkos et al (2014) had a category termed “thin flexible sheets” to group microplastics from estuaries in the Chesapeake Bay.…”

Section: A Review Of Categorization Schemes To Report Microplastics I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A fit‐for‐purpose categorization scheme for microplastic morphologies

Yu¹,

Diamond²,

Helm

2022

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Microplastic categorization schemes are diverse, thereby posing challenges for cross-study comparisons. Further, categorization schemes are not necessarily aligned with and, thus, useful for applications such as source reduction initiatives. To address these challenges, we propose a hierarchical categorization approach that is "fit for purpose" to enable the use of a scheme that is tailored to the study's purpose and contains categories, which, if adopted, would facilitate interstudy comparison. The hierarchical categorization scheme is flexible to support various study purposes (e.g., to support regulation and toxicity assessment) and it aims to improve the consistency and comparability of microplastics categorization. Categorization is primarily based on morphology, supplemented by other identification methods as needed (e.g., spectroscopy). The use of the scheme was illustrated through a literature review aimed at critically evaluating the categories used for reporting microplastic morphologies in North American freshwater environments. Categorization and grouping schemes for microplastic particles were highly variable, with up to 19 different categories used across 68 studies, and nomenclature was inconsistent across particle morphologies. Our review demonstrates the necessity for a "fit for purpose" categorization scheme to guide the information needs of scientists and decision-makers for various research and regulatory objectives across global, regional, and local scales.

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“…Chemicals include persistent organic pollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and triclosans (Kolpin et al, 2002). Quite how these materials travel through, and are successively buried and exhumed in, sedimentary deposits of the river system, eventually making their way to the sea, is still poorly understood (Wilkens et al, 2020). Many chemicals will not only dissolve in the water but also cling to sediment particles such as clays, whilst micro- and nano-sized plastics can be suspended in the water or adhere to soil particles (Keller et al, 2020).…”

Section: The Anthropogenically Influenced Mississippi Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geological evolution of the Mississippi River into the Anthropocene

Russell

Waters

Himson

et al. 2021

The Anthropocene Review

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The Mississippi River maintains commercial and societal networks of the USA along its >3700 km length. It has accumulated a fluvial sedimentary succession over 80 million years. Through the last 11,700 years of the Holocene Epoch, the wild river shaped the landscape, models of which have become classic in geological studies of ancient river strata. Studies of the river were led by the need to develop infrastructure and to search for hydrocarbons, through which, these models have become quite sophisticated. However, whilst the models demonstrate how the wild river behaves, a monumental shift in fundamental controls on the entire fluvial system, broadly coinciding with the proposed mid-20th century onset of the Anthropocene Epoch, has generated new geological patterns that are becoming globally ubiquitous, and which the Mississippi River typifies. As such, whilst classic Holocene river models may be compared to human-modified systems such as the Lower Mississippi River (and others worldwide), locally the models may now only directly apply to its fossilized components preserved in the sub-surface. Such river models need adapting to better understand the present dynamics, and future evolution of these landscapes.

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Initial Survey of Microplastics in Bottom Sediments from United States Waterways

Cited by 19 publications

References 19 publications

Are We Underestimating Anthropogenic Microfiber Pollution? A Critical Review of Occurrence, Methods, and Reporting

Are We Underestimating Anthropogenic Microfiber Pollution? A Critical Review of Occurrence, Methods, and Reporting

A fit‐for‐purpose categorization scheme for microplastic morphologies

Geological evolution of the Mississippi River into the Anthropocene

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