Mitigation strategies to reverse the rising trend of plastics in Polar Regions

Eriksen, Marcus; Borgogno, Franco; Villarrubia-Gómez, Patricia; Anderson, Emily E.; Box, Carolynn; Trenholm, Nicole

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105704

Cited by 36 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Thus, the inspection of King George Island has shown clear deficiencies with respect to waste management at some stations in the form of waste storage and the existence of more than 40 waste dumps (Peter et al, 2013). Although in other locations of the continent, there has been an effort regarding the recovery of waste and mitigation of old landfills (Eriksen et al, 2020), the Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty on Environmental Protection has recognized the lack of data on plastics that would allow adequate decision-making and reduction of pollution and has recently made recommendations regarding the use of plastic on the continent (Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty, 2019a). Among the recommendations are halting the use of personal care products that contain plastic microbeads and considering the use of filtration technologies to reduce the amount of microplastic particles that enter the Antarctic marine environment (Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty, 2019a,b); however, there are no recommendations focused on soils.…”

Section: Pollution Of Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics in Soils and Intertidal Sediments at Fildes Bay, Maritime Antarctica

et al. 2022

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Increased human activity on the Antarctic Peninsula has generated microplastic contamination in marine systems; however, less attention has been paid to soils so far. We investigated the occurrence of microplastics in 11 surface soils and intertidal sediments collected from Fildes Bay, King George Island. A transect of soils at Antarctic stations until Fildes Bay was made (i.e., S1–S5). Intertidal sediments along the shore (i.e., IS1–IS5) and a reference sample from Ardley Island (i.e., IS6) were also collected. All samples were stored at 4°C and analyzed for the organic matter content, particle size, and pH. Plastic particles were counted and classified by shape using metal dissecting forceps and a stereomicroscope and further analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). They were classified by length as fibers (length: 500–2,000 μm) and fragments (length: 20–500 μm). In soil, fragments reached an average of 13.6 particles/50 ml sample, while in intertidal sediments, no fragments were found, but a fiber abundance of 1.5 particles/50 ml sample was observed. The principal component analysis shows a relationship between fibers and intertidal sediments, whereas fragments present a relationship with soils. There were differences between the numbers of fragments found in soils and intertidal sediments (p = 0.003), with a high abundance of fragments at site S5, but no significant differences were observed for fibers. The physicochemical soil analysis revealed that larger particle sizes were observed in intertidal sediments (average = 706.94 ± 230.51 μm) than in soils (p = 0.0007). The organic matter content was higher in soil than in intertidal sediments (p = 0.006) reaching an average of 6.0%. Plastic fragments and organic matter were significantly correlated (r = 0.779, p = 0.005), while fibers were positively correlated with particle size (r = 0.713, p = 0.014). The fragments were composed of phenoxy resin with the same appearance, shape, and bright orange color as the coatings of the facilities. According to the FT-IR analysis, the fibers had different colors and were composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Cotton was also present at the sites surrounding the sampling site close to the base effluent. The presence of fiber on Ardley Island (i.e., control) may indicate that microplastic contamination has reached protected areas. This is the first study to confirm the presence of plastic debris in Antarctic soils. Further studies should focus on the identification of plastic sources and on the management of human activities and their eventual effects on biota.

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Section: Pollution Of Protected Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics in Soils and Intertidal Sediments at Fildes Bay, Maritime Antarctica

et al. 2022

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“…The general public, as key stakeholders, have to be educated on the importance of cleaner environments. Leave-no-trace policies, including retrieving abandoned fishing and plastic gear, have been implemented in some coastal areas among other measures [175]. As such, communities can be encouraged to explore ways of managing plastic wastes through reuse, recycling and the recovery of resources in these materials for sustainable community development.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment—The Occurrence, Sources, Ecological Impacts, Fate, and Remediation Challenges

et al. 2021

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Microplastics are discharged into the environment through human activities and are persistent in the environment. With the prevalent use of plastic-based personal protective equipment in the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the concentration of microplastics in the environment is envisaged to increase. Potential ecological and health risks emanate from their potential to adsorb and transport toxic chemicals, and ease of absorption into the cells of living organisms and interfering with physiological processes. This review (1) discusses sources and pathways through which microplastics enter the environment, (2) evaluates the fate and behavior of microplastics, (3) discusses microplastics in African aquatic systems, and (4) identifies research gaps and recommends remediation strategies. Importantly, while there is significant microplastics pollution in the aquatic environment, pollution in terrestrial systems are not widely studied. Besides, there is a dearth of information on microplastics in African aquatic systems. The paper recommends that the governments and non-governmental organizations should fund research to address knowledge gaps, which include: (1) the environmental fate of microplastics, (2) conducting toxicological studies under environmentally relevant conditions, (3) investigating toxicity mechanisms to biota, and developing mitigation measures to safeguard human health, and (4) investigating pollutants transported by microplastics. Moreover, regulatory measures, along with the circular economy strategies, may help reduce microplastic pollution.

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“…Following the actions taken by the US in mid-2017, the UK Government has announced its intention to ban the 2018 ban and 2017 manufacture of rinse-o-off cosmetic items containing microbeads. [30,32]. In addition, Beach Cleanup and other literacy projects have been carried out in Britain, including the Green Blue project.…”

Section: Regional and National Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Project aims were to record the resources and composition of debris on the seashore and in select aquatic species and to measure plastic consumption. [30,42]. The project also aimed at providing support through activities on the sea , especially with the children and adolescents, to the local NGO, the Azores Sea Observatory, (OMA).…”

Section: Azorlit -Establishing a Baseline On Marine Litter In The Azoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The plastics industry in the US and UK has implemented "Operation Clean Sweep" to reduce plastic pellet loss to the environment especially during transportation and shipment. However, the measures taken by developed countries on microplastic beads are mostly limited to PCCPs[30][31]. And commercial raw materials microplastics are currently in the testing stages.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Prevention and Control of Plastic Waste Pollution in the Polar Region: A Review

Agnes¹,

Adeboye²,

Huang³

2020

IJSRP

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The effect and harm done to the marine environment by plastic pollution can never be overemphasized. This research reviews and examined various policies, laws, and regulations that have been put in place to mitigate and control the devastating effects of plastic waste pollution, particular reference was made to the polar region and likely environ. Scientific researches, Journal papers, and various publications on plastic waste pollution in the polar region, also known or interchangeably referred to as the Arctic or Antarctica are also reviewed. Findings show that the threat of plastic waste pollution in the Polar region if not quickly attended to could result in devastating climate and environmental problems. Efforts from intergovernmental and international organizations on the subject matter were also investigated, e.g. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Arctic Council Organization (ACO), Ocean Conservancy (OC), the Arctic Initiative (AI) and the Polar Institute (PI). Various other Policies, Interventions, and Conventions were also studied and recommendations made in accordance with the conclusions reached. Recommendations made from this review include: promoting awareness and understanding of the plastic pollution issue through targeted communication and education efforts to increase community engagement and solutions co-creation; convene industry to educate about economic and environmental threats from plastic pollution and to generate reasonable and realistic practices for plastic pollution mitigation; work with industry to develop and promote guidelines that reduce plastic waste and address appropriate disposal, recycling and reuse of plastic materials.

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Mitigation strategies to reverse the rising trend of plastics in Polar Regions

Cited by 36 publications

References 43 publications

Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics in Soils and Intertidal Sediments at Fildes Bay, Maritime Antarctica

Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics in Soils and Intertidal Sediments at Fildes Bay, Maritime Antarctica

Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment—The Occurrence, Sources, Ecological Impacts, Fate, and Remediation Challenges

Prevention and Control of Plastic Waste Pollution in the Polar Region: A Review

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