Microplastic abundance in the Thames River during the New Year period

Devereux, Ria; Westhead, Elizabeth Kebede; Jayaratne, Ravindra; Newport, Darryl J.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113534

Cited by 34 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The majority of plastic polymers identified within the river Thames were PVC, PS, and PCP. The high presence of PVC, PS, and PCP among samples is not surprising as they are among the most commonly produced and used plastic polymers worldwide (Chia et al, 2020), whilst also being previously found within the River Thames water samples (Devereux et al, 2022;Horton et al, 2017;McGoran et al, 2017). Polypropylene increased from pre-Covid-19 abundances during post-Covid-19 and Lockdown 3 samples, and Lockdown 3 had the highest abundance of PP found.…”

Section: Ftirmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Water samples were collected monthly around the 15th of each month starting from May 2019 to June 2021 at high tide from landbased infrastructure at the site. Three 1 L surface water samples were collected from each site following protocols established by Devereux et al (2022). High-density Polyethylene (HDPE) double-lidded bottles were used to store collected water and transport it from the site to the University of East London laboratory.…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2). 'The Guide for Microplastic Identification' (Marine and Environmental Research Institute, 2020), as well as a range of studies (Devereux et al, 2021;Devereux et al, 2022), was consulted to determine the microplastic observed.…”

Section: Microplastic Characterisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on microplastic abundance along the River Thames

Devereux

Ayati

Westhead

et al. 2023

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Section: Ftirmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on microplastic abundance along the River Thames

Devereux

Ayati

Westhead

et al. 2023

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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“…PCP root coverings also serve an important function in hydroponic systems by obscuring light from entering the rooting chambers, thus promoting greater root development and preventing algae growth [38,39]. However, despite the many benefits of these polymers, recent studies have reported their high occurrence in the environment, raising concerns about their potential negative impact [40,41]. Overall, this study highlights the need for further research on the use and effects of synthetic rubber polymers in packaged food products and the environment.…”

Section: Shape or Morphology Of Mpsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Preliminary characterization and probabilistic risk assessment of microplastics and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in garri (cassava flake), a common staple food consumed in West Africa

Enyoh¹,

Wang

Rabin³

et al. 2023

Environ Anal Health Toxicol

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Garri from cassava is one of the most consumed foods in West Africa, hence this research was conducted to examine microplastics (MPs) and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in garri from Nigeria (West Africa) and Japan. This is the first investigation on MPs in garri samples that has been reported in the literature. The study analyzed both packaged and unpackaged vended garri samples using microscopic/spectroscopic and X-ray fluorescence techniques for MPs and PTEs respectively. Microplastic particles in the garri samples ranged from (or were between) 2.00±2.00 – 175.00±25.16 particles/50 with > 90 % as fragments and consisted of polyacrylamide, polyethylene terepthalate, polyvinyl alcohol, high density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride acrylonitrile, polyethylene chlorinated, polypropylene with silicate mix, polychloroprene and polyethylene chlorosulphonated. The mean concentration of PTEs raged from ND to 0.07 mg/g for Cr and Mn, 0.73 to 5.63 mg/g for Fe, ND to 0.57mg/g for Co, 0.23 to 1.21 mg/g for Ni, 0.15 to 1.53 mg/g for Cu, and 0.12 to 0.63 mg/g for Zn. However, their daily intake was low for both adult and children as with the MPs. The sources of MPs and PTEs were mainly from the garri production processes, atmospheric dusts and during packaging. The non-carcinogenic risk for all samples was low for MPs while in openly vended garri, Ni and Cr in all sample poses carcinogenic risks. There is a need to improve indigenous garri processing techniques to minimize contamination. This research emphasizes the critical necessity to understand the consequences of MPs on human health.

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“…The concentration of MPs in ZJB was higher than that of the Chin Ling-Wei River (Bian et al, 2022), Suzhou River (Luo et al, 2019), Charleston Harbor (Gray et al, 2018), and Chishui River, South Carolina (Li et al, 2021b). However, the range of MPs concentrations in ZJB was lower than that in other areas (Gray et al, 2018;Yan et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2019a;Han et al, 2020;Devereux et al, 2022). The high abundance of MPs in all studies may be due to a combination of economic development (commercial and tourism activities), human activities (agricultural cultivation, aquaculture, wastewater removal, solid waste management, industrial emissions, and land use), geographical features (rivers at mid-upper levels, weak hydrodynamics, prevailing winds, and ocean currents), and population density; the relatively low abundance of MPs may be mainly ascribed to one of the factors.…”

Section: Degree Of Pollution Of Mps Transported To the Sea In Zjbmentioning

confidence: 95%

Tracing Land-Based Microplastic Sources in Coastal Waters of Zhanjiang Bay, China: Spatiotemporal Pattern, Composition, and Flux

Wang

Jian²,

Zhang³

et al. 2022

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Estuaries and sewage outlets are key pathways for the transport of microplastics (MPs) from land to coastal waters. In this study, the spatiotemporal pattern, composition, and flux of MPs transported from land to Zhanjiang Bay (ZJB) in the South China Sea were investigated. The results showed that the overall mean MP abundance (± standard deviation) was 17.99 ± 9.72 items/L, with the highest in the normal season, followed by the dry and wet seasons. Fibers were the most dominant shape in these samples, blue was the most common color, and most MPs ranged between 100 and 330 μm. The MP diversity was higher in the wet and normal seasons than in the dry season. The highest seasonal flux of MPs was observed during the wet season, accounting for 79.68%, with the largest contribution from the Suixi River. There was a significant positive relationship between the annual MP flux and river discharge (R² = 0.95, p< 0.001). Hydrological processes, human behavior, and weather conditions were key factors that contributed toward the spatiotemporal variation of MPs. Overall, the aim of this study was to provide baseline information on MP pollution in ZJB to help formulate control strategies for improving regional water quality and mitigating its pollution. In the future, this study can be used to assess the role of river basins and sewage outlets in transporting MPs to the estuaries and ocean.

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Microplastic abundance in the Thames River during the New Year period

Cited by 34 publications

References 61 publications

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on microplastic abundance along the River Thames

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on microplastic abundance along the River Thames

Preliminary characterization and probabilistic risk assessment of microplastics and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in garri (cassava flake), a common staple food consumed in West Africa

Tracing Land-Based Microplastic Sources in Coastal Waters of Zhanjiang Bay, China: Spatiotemporal Pattern, Composition, and Flux

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