Preferential accumulation of small (<300 μm) microplastics in the sediments of a coastal plain river network in eastern China

Microplastic (1 and 5 μm) exposure disturbs lifespan and intestine function in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

“…coli OP50 solution was used to prepare dilutions of four MP exposure concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10% (v/v)), corresponding to MP surface area concentrations of~2.4 × 10 7 , 2.4 × 10 8 , 2.4 × 10 9 , and 2.4 × 10 10 particles/m 2 . The lower MP concentrations (10 7 particles/ m 2 ) used in this study fall within the upper concentration limit for MPs (10 7 particles/m 2 ) reported for riverine sediment samples providing environmental relevance to our study design (Rowshyra et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2018). In addition, as MPs reported in these studies only quantified particles sizes N20 μm and size-frequency spectra were skewed towards small particles, the total MP concentrations in these studies may be under-estimated due to the prevalence of smaller MPs in riverine sediment samples (Goldstein et al, 2013).…”

“…Their numerical dominance, diversity of lifecycles, and presence at various trophic levels make them an important component in many food webs and ecosystems (Lorenzen, 1994). This is especially true for benthic communities in marine and freshwater systems where MPs tend to accumulate by sedimentation (Wang et al, 2018). Among nematodes, C. elegans is a freeliving, transparent nematode having several advantages as a model organism owing to its small size (~1 mm), rapid development (3-4 days), moderate lifespan (2-3 weeks), ease of cultivation and observation, and complete sequencing of its genome.…”

Micro- and macroplastic accumulation in a newly formed Spartina alterniflora colonized estuarine saltmarsh in southeast China

“…Compared with surveys on beaches in other regions worldwide, the amount of microplastics on the beaches of Linkun Island's saltmarsh was among the highest reported (Table S2). However, the amount of microplastics in saltmarsh sediments was much less than in sediments from a nearby inland urban river (Wang et al, 2018). This discrepancy was mainly due to differences in the small microplastic fraction < 300 μm, which accounted for no more than 50% of total microplastics on the beach compared to about 85% of total microplastics in the urban river sediments.…”

Critical Assessment of Analytical Methods for the Harmonized and Cost-Efficient Analysis of Microplastics

“…NR staining was first suggested for use in MP detection by Andrady 57 and was subsequently validated for its ability to stain various MP polymer types. It now has been used in the detection of MPs extracted from environmental water, 22,56,58 atmospheric deposition samples, 54 beach sand, 56,58 drinking water, 59 aquatic sediment, 60,61 and marine species tissue. 62,63 Using the NR procedure, polymers of interest or MPs extracted from environmental samples are filtered onto a membrane, incubated with a NR solution, the solution removed through filtration, followed by washing steps, or by evaporation.…”