Understanding microplastic pollution of marine ecosystem: a review

Sharma, Swati; Bhardwaj, Aprajita; Thakur, Mayur; Saini, Anita

doi:10.1007/s11356-023-28314-1

Cited by 27 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 318 publications

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“…The fact that striped dolphins are more associated with offshore areas of Portuguese waters [90] might be related with a higher ingestion of fragments, since plastic litter with high floatability is known to accumulate in the large-scale subtropical offshore convergence zones, where litter may remain for long periods of time while degrading [91][92][93]. Fragments found in this study probably originated from the breakdown of larger plastic pieces, since they were predominantly irregularly shaped and all of them presented more rough than smooth edges [94,95], similarly to microplastics found in Portuguese coastal waters [96]. No pellets or microbeads were found during microplastic identification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Microplastics in Cetaceans Stranded on the Portuguese Coast

Sá,

Torres-Pereira,

Ferreira

et al. 2023

Animals

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This study characterises microplastics in small cetaceans on the coast of Portugal and assesses the relationship between several biological variables and the amount of detected microplastics. The intestines of 38 stranded dead cetaceans were processed in the laboratory, with digestion methods adapted to the amount of organic matter in each sample. The influence of several biological and health variables (e.g., species, sex, body condition) on the amount of microplastics was tested in all analysed species and particularly in common dolphins, due to the larger number of available samples. Most of the analysed individuals had microplastics in the intestine (92.11%), with harbour porpoises revealing a significantly higher median number of microplastics than common dolphins, probably due to their different diets, use of habitat and feeding strategies. None of the other tested variables significantly influenced the number of microplastics. Moreover, the microplastics found should not be enough to cause physical or chemical sublethal effects, although the correlation between microplastic ingestion and plastic additive bioaccumulation in cetacean tissues requires further investigation. Future monitoring in biota should rely on improved and standardised protocols for microplastic analyses in complex samples to allow for accurate analyses of larger samples and spatio-temporal comparisons.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Microplastics in Cetaceans Stranded on the Portuguese Coast

Sá,

Torres-Pereira,

Ferreira

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…They are transferred from the terrestrial ecosystems via biotic and abiotic mechanisms, or they reach the aquatic environment directly through things that contain microplastics (Li et al 2018;Ory et al 2017). After that, microplastics are further classified as primary microplastics (plastic beads used in air blasting and cosmetic items) or secondary microplastics (plastic fragments made from bigger plastic particles) (Sharma et al 2023). According to Burns et al (2018), MPs may be categorized into several form categories with names like fragments, fibers, films, foam, and beads.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can water mites’ parasitism influence the number of microplastics ingested by aquatic insects?

Khedre,

Ramadan,

Ashry

et al. 2024

Appl Water Sci

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Microplastic pollution endangers both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their spread across the food chain also endangers human health. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can be viewed as the final barrier between microplastics and the environment. In addition, it is well-known that water mites are abundant parasites in aquatic ecosystems, and nearly all insect orders with aquatic stages are considered potential hosts for at least one water mite species. However, no studies have been conducted to test the direct and indirect effects of parasites on population dynamics in freshwater ecosystems or the role of predators in shaping the behavior and life histories of aquatic organisms. Thus, this work aimed to study the seasonal abundance, distribution, composition, and risk assessment of MPs in surface water, aquatic insects (Coroxide and Notonectidae), and for the first time, water mites (Hydrachnidiae), as well as the effect of water mites’ parasitism on the number of MPs ingested by aquatic insects in two of the most polluted wastewater sites (S1 and S2) in Sohag Governorate, Egypt. The two wastewater sites receive different wastewater inputs (domestic and industrial). The results showed that the MPs abundance in surface water was higher in S2 than in S1 during the four seasons of the year, where the microplastic abundance in surface water was 2.05 ± 0.79 and 3.01 ± 0.9 particles/L in S1 and S2, respectively. Also, MPs were significantly higher in S2 in two insect taxa (Corixidae and Notonectidae) that are known to be infected by water mites. In contrast, the number of MPs was lower in S1, where water mites were absent. In addition, our results showed that adult water mites accumulated MPs. Overall, the 500–2000 µm size range was the most prevalent for both wastewater sites. Fibers were the most common MP morphotype discovered, followed by fragments. The dominant colors of MP were blue, red, and black. Furthermore, FTIR spectroscopy revealed the existence of three distinct polymers, namely polyester (PES), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effect of water mites’ parasitism on the number of MPs ingested by aquatic organisms. However, Further research is needed to confirm our suggestion.

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Prevention policies for the marine ecological environment in the South China Sea as a consequence of excessive plastic compound use in Vietnam

Islam

2024

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Vietnam suffers from a distressing predicament: It ranks among the most heavily contaminated nations on earth. Its coastal and marine domains are plagued by an excess of plastic waste. Vietnam has consistently discharged a substantial amount of waste into the oceans, ranging from 0.28 to 0.73 million metric tons annually. Numerous areas have emerged as focal points of plastic pollution throughout its extensive seashore and marine areas. The escalating presence of marine litter poses an increasingly grave threat to the intricate equilibrium of Vietnam's marine ecosystems. This comprehensive policy study reveals that the mounting problem of ocean plastic pollution, characterized by the abundance of floating plastic debris, imperils both plant and animal life, placing various marine species such as seabirds, fish, turtles, and cetaceans at risk. The consumption of minuscule plastic particles and the harmful impact of chemical pollutants from plastic waste in the ocean not only endangers the vitality of marine life but also poses a substantial hazard to human well‐being because plastic waste infiltrates the food chain. This research reveals that, despite the existence of numerous laws and policies—including the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, the Marine Plastic Waste Management Initiative for the Fisheries Sector 2020–2030, and the National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter—a significant amount of plastic waste is infiltrating the river network and eventually infiltrating oceans as a result of improper monitoring and ineffective enforcement of these legislations. Relying primarily on existing data released by the government and other sources and a wide range of gray literature retrieved from reputable databases, this study aims to evaluate the role of Vietnam's legal framework for combating the critical issue of marine plastic pollution in the South China Sea. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1–19. © 2024 SETAC

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Understanding microplastic pollution of marine ecosystem: a review

Cited by 27 publications

References 318 publications

Microplastics in Cetaceans Stranded on the Portuguese Coast

Microplastics in Cetaceans Stranded on the Portuguese Coast

Can water mites’ parasitism influence the number of microplastics ingested by aquatic insects?

Prevention policies for the marine ecological environment in the South China Sea as a consequence of excessive plastic compound use in Vietnam

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