A critical review of the emerging research on the detection and assessment of microplastics pollution in the coastal,marine, and urban Bangladesh

● Coastal and marine regions are the most studied for microplastic pollution. ● Tourism is a major cause of microplastic pollution in coastal regions. ● Sediments contain larger microplastics while fish ingest smaller microplastics. ● Inland lakes, rivers, and freshwater fish are impacted by microplastic pollution. ● Microplastics are found in edible salts, however, presence is less in refined salt. The research on the extent and effects of microplastics pollution in the Global South is only getting started. Bangladesh is a South Asian country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, however, such exponential economic growth has also increased the pollution threats to its natural and urban environment. In this paper, we reviewed the recent primary research on the assessment of the extent of microplastics pollution in Bangladesh. From the online databases, we developed a compilation of emerging research articles that detected and quantified microplastics in different coastal, marine, and urban environments in Bangladesh. Most of the studies focused on the coastal environment (e.g., beach sediment) and marine fish, while limited data were available for the urban environment. We also discussed the relationship of the type of anthropogenic activities with the observed microplastic pollution. The Cox’s Bazar sea beach in south-east Bangladesh experienced microplastics pollution due to tourism activities, while fishing and other anthropogenic activities led to microplastics pollution in the Bay of Bengal. While microplastics larger than 1 mm were prevalent in the beach sediments, smaller microplastics with size below 0.5 mm were prevalent in marine fish samples. Moreover, the differences in microplastic abundance, size, shape, color, and polymer type found were depended on the sampling sites and relevant anthropogenic activities. It is imperative to identify major sources of microplastics pollution in both natural and urban environment, determine potential environmental and human health effects, and develop mitigating and prevention strategies for reducing microplastics pollution.     

Microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants: a case study of Denizli/Turkey

● High amounts of microplastics are released to receiving media from WWTPs. ● The effect of classical treatment processes on MP removal is important. ● MP load in the effluent of WWTPs is important for developing treatment technology. ● Additional physical treatment could help further reduce MP discharge. Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are microplastics. They are among the significant pollutants that recently attracted attention. Great quantities of microplastics enter the sewage system daily and reach wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As a result, WWTPs are potential microplastic sources. Hence, they create a pathway for microplastics to reach aquatic environments with treated wastewater discharge. Studies on microplastic characterization in WWTPs have gained momentum in academia. This study investigates the abundance, size, shape, color, polymer type, and removal efficiencies of microplastics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Denizli/Turkey. The results showed that the dominant microplastic shape in wastewater samples was fibers (41.78%–60.77%) in the 100–500 µm (58.57%–80.07%) size range. Most of the microplastics were transparent-white (32.86%–58.93%). The dominant polymer types were polyethylene (54.05%) and polyethylene vinyl acetate (37.84%) in raw wastewater. Furthermore, the microplastic removal efficiencies of the Denizli Central WWTP as a whole and for individual treatment units were evaluated. Although the microplastic pollution removal efficiency of the Denizli Central WWTP was over 95%, the microplastic concentration discharged daily into the receiving environment was considerably high (1.28 × 10¹⁰ MP/d). Thus, Denizli Central WWTP effluents result in a high volume of emissions in terms of microplastic pollution with a significant daily discharge to the Çürüksu Stream.     

微塑料污染的水生生态毒性与载体作用

近年来,微塑料的水生生态环境污染与生态毒害问题引起了科学界的广泛关注。在总结国内外相关研究的基础上,本文对水生态环境中微塑料的来源、形成与分布展开分析;对微塑料污染的生态毒性研究进展给予评述;并深入探讨了微塑料在生态系统中扮演的多重载体角色。鉴于微塑料污染的严峻现实,我国应尽快开展有关微塑料环境污染和生态毒理方面的系统研究,并辅以政策引导和经济支持。     

微塑料污染的水生生态毒性与载体作用

近年来微塑料的水生生态环境污染与生态毒害问题引起了科学界的广泛关注。在总结国内外相关研究的基础上，本文对水生态环境中微塑料的来源、形成与分布展开分析；对微塑料污染的生态毒性研究进展给予评述；并深入探讨了微塑料在生态系统中扮演的多重载体角色。鉴于微塑料污染的严峻现实，我国应尽快开展有关微塑料环境污染和生态毒理方面的系统研究，并辅以政策引导和经济支持。     

海洋中微塑料的环境行为和生态影响

微塑料一般指直径小于5 mm的微小型塑料颗粒或碎片，海洋中常见的微塑料类型主要包括聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚苯乙烯、聚氯乙烯等。由于形状、颜色多变，分子量大，结构稳定，粒径范围与浮游植物相近，海洋中的微塑料很容易被对浮游植物、浮游动物和其他海洋动物等产生影响。微塑料还可以为病毒、细菌提供附着载体，影响浮游植物分布，进入海洋生物消化道或进一步转移到组织中对机体产生毒性效应，甚至通过捕食作用沿食物链传递，对高等动物及人类健康造成威胁。此外，微塑料可以作为海水中痕量化学物质的吸附载体，对生物产生联合毒性。根据目前对微塑料的研究进展情况，未来应加强对海洋微塑料分离、鉴定技术的研发以及海洋微塑料的生物毒性效应和生物传递效应机制等问题的研究。     

微塑料与有机污染物的相互作用研究进展

微塑料(粒径小于5 mm的塑料)作为海洋中一种新型的污染物正受到越来越多的关注。微塑料在全球多个海域均有检出,根据其来源分为原生微塑料和次生微塑料。原生微塑料由人工直接制造所得,常见于日常生活用品中;次生微塑料由大块塑料制品长期风化、磨损和光解形成。塑料自身含有多种有机添加剂,不断向环境中释放,污染海洋环境;微塑料表面还可吸附有机污染物,此吸附作用受两者的物理化学性质和环境条件影响,吸附污染物后的微塑料生物毒性增强。另外,聚合物复合光催化材料可加快有机污染物如染料的光降解反应速率,因而微塑料可能会促进有机污染物的光解。针对目前微塑料对有机物光降解的贡献、机理鲜见研究的问题,未来应加强以下3方面的研究:(1)微塑料对不同有机污染物光降解是否存在影响?(2)微塑料类型、尺寸以及反应条件对有机污染物光降解如何影响?(3)微塑料对有机污染物光降解影响的内在机制是什么?     

Quantitative analysis of microplastics in coastal tidal-flat reclamation in Dongtai,China

• Reclamation projects are important disturbances on microplastic risk in coasts. • Tidal-flat reclamation area is a large storage medium for sedimentary microplastics. • Aging and distribution features of soil microplastics show spatial heterogeneity. • Coastal weathered engineering geotextiles are a significant threat to marine health. Coastal tidal flats have received considerable attention in recent years, as they provide a direct channel for the discharge of terrestrial microplastics into the ocean. Land reclamation is occurring increasingly frequently in coastal tidal-flats; however, the environmental impacts of these activities remain unclear. Therefore, this pioneering study assessed the microplastic emission characteristics of reclamation geotextiles and performed a risk assessment accordingly. Morphological characterization of geotextile samples collected from five sites in Dongtai, China, provided evidence of sedimentary weathering. Based on several assumptions, the average abundance of microplastics in soil covered by geotextiles was estimated to reach 349±137 particles/kg dry weight, with the total microplastic load in the reclaimed area estimated to be 20.67±8.06 t. Compared with previous studies, this research demonstrates that coastal reclamation areas store a high concentration of microplastics, aggravating marine microplastic pollution. Moreover, conditional fragmentation model results revealed that the weathering and distribution characteristics of soil microplastics in coastal tidal-flat areas exhibit spatial heterogeneity, being more easily affected by natural factors (such as tides) than those in inland areas. As a result of tides, the annual discharge of geotextile-originating microplastics from the studied areas into the ocean was approximately 2465.52±960.77 t. These findings prove that the risks posed by engineering-microplastics are significant, indicating that further investigations are required on the precise laws of transfer and migration, as well as the toxicity mechanisms, in order to improve analytical techniques and policies in this field.     

Microplastics in the benthic invertebrates from the coastal waters of Kochi,Southeastern Arabian Sea

This study examined microplastic particles present in the benthic invertebrates Sternaspis scutata, Magelona cinta (deposit feeders) and Tellina sp. (suspension feeder) from the surface sediments of off-Kochi, southwest coast of India. The microplastic particles and thread-like fibres detected in these organisms were identified to be polystyrene by using DXR Raman microscope. Examination of the microplastic particle in Sternaspis scutata by epifluorescent microscopy showed fragmentation marks on the surface suggesting that the microplastic particle was degraded/weathered in nature. The study provides preliminary evidence of the presence of microplastics in benthic fauna from the coastal waters of India. However, further studies are required to understand the sources, distribution, fate and toxicity of the different types of microplastics in benthic invertebrates in order to identify any potential threats to higher trophic level organisms.     

Microplastic sources,formation, toxicity and remediation: a review

Microplastic pollution is becoming a major issue for human health due to the recent discovery of microplastics in most ecosystems. Here, we review the sources, formation, occurrence, toxicity and remediation methods of microplastics. We distinguish ocean-based and land-based sources of microplastics. Microplastics have been found in biological samples such as faeces, sputum, saliva, blood and placenta. Cancer, intestinal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, infectious and inflammatory diseases are induced or mediated by microplastics. Microplastic exposure during pregnancy and maternal period is also discussed. Remediation methods include coagulation, membrane bioreactors, sand filtration, adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, electrocoagulation and magnetic separation. Control strategies comprise reducing plastic usage, behavioural change, and using biodegradable plastics. Global plastic production has risen dramatically over the past 70 years to reach 359 million tonnes. China is the world's top producer, contributing 17.5% to global production, while Turkey generates the most plastic waste in the Mediterranean region, at 144 tonnes per day. Microplastics comprise 75% of marine waste, with land-based sources responsible for 80–90% of pollution, while ocean-based sources account for only 10–20%. Microplastics induce toxic effects on humans and animals, such as cytotoxicity, immune response, oxidative stress, barrier attributes, and genotoxicity, even at minimal dosages of 10 μg/mL. Ingestion of microplastics by marine animals results in alterations in gastrointestinal tract physiology, immune system depression, oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, differential gene expression, and growth inhibition. Furthermore, bioaccumulation of microplastics in the tissues of aquatic organisms can have adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem, with potential transmission of microplastics to humans and birds. Changing individual behaviours and governmental actions, such as implementing bans, taxes, or pricing on plastic carrier bags, has significantly reduced plastic consumption to 8–85% in various countries worldwide. The microplastic minimisation approach follows an upside-down pyramid, starting with prevention, followed by reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering, and ending with disposal as the least preferable option.

     

微塑料在土壤-地下水中的环境行为及其生态毒性研究进展

微塑料已成为一类新型污染物遍布全球各个角落,由此产生的环境问题日趋严峻。第二届联合国环境大会上将微塑料污染列为环境与生态科学研究领域的第二大科学问题。目前大多数研究集中在海洋环境方面,有关土壤-地下水系统中微塑料的环境行为及生态毒性相关研究还较为薄弱。本文基于大量文献调研,较系统地回顾梳理了有关土壤-地下水中微塑料的来源、迁移归趋及其生态毒理效应的研究成果,并对未来研究做出评述和展望,旨在促进土壤-地下水系统中微塑料污染的相关研究。     

Research progress on distribution,sources, identification,toxicity, and biodegradation of microplastics in the ocean,freshwater, and soil environment

• Microplastics are widely found in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. • Cleaning products and discarded plastic waste are primary sources of microplastics. • Microplastics have apparent toxic effects on the growth of fish and soil plants. • Multiple strains of biodegradable microplastics have been isolated. Microplastics (MPs) are distributed in the oceans, freshwater, and soil environment and have become major pollutants. MPs are generally referred to as plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter. They consist of primary microplastics synthesized in microscopic size manufactured production and secondary microplastics generated by physical and environmental degradation. Plastic particles are long-lived pollutants that are highly resistant to environmental degradation. In this review, the distribution and possible sources of MPs in aquatic and terrestrial environments are described. Moreover, the adverse effects of MPs on natural creatures due to ingestion have been discussed. We also have summarized identification methods based on MPs particle size and chemical bond. To control the pollution of MPs, the biodegradation of MPs under the action of different microbes has also been reviewed in this work. This review will contribute to a better understanding of MPs pollution in the environment, as well as their identification, toxicity, and biodegradation in the ocean, freshwater, and soil, and the assessment and control of microplastics exposure.     

The abundance,characteristics and diversity of microplastics in the South China Sea: Observation around three remote islands

• A high abundance of floating MPs was found in the southern South China Sea. • Transparent film and fiber were predominant in water and organisms, respectively. • 84.7% of floating MPs and 54.5% of MPs in vivo belonged to PP and PE. • Characteristics of MP in organisms were different from those of inshore ones. Surrounded by emerging markets with considerable plastic consumption, the South China Sea has been a focus area of microplastic research. A survey on the floating microplastics (>0.3 mm) and microplastics ingested by fish and mollusks was conducted around three remote islands here. Compared with the results from several previous studies, a high abundance of floating microplastics (with a median of 1.9 × 10⁵ items/km² or 0.7 items/m³) was observed, revealing another “hot spot” for microplastics. Polyolefin, especially polypropylene, was the main component. The diversity index and evenness index were calculated and evaluated based on the composition of microplastics. The characteristic peaks of Raman spectra concerning pigmented microplastics were provided. Transparent sheets/films were predominant in the water sample, which was quite different from a similar study in this sea area (8.9% for film), and only 16.4% of floating microplastics (>0.3 mm) were fibers/lines, implying that the main sources of floating microplastics (>0.3 mm) might be household/agricultural consumption activities. The transparent fiber/line was also dominant in organisms. It is suggested that the main sources of microplastics ingested by organisms might be both fabric fibers and fishing/aquaculture.     

微塑料对疏水性有机污染物的生物富集影响研究进展

近年来,海洋和淡水环境中微塑料污染已成为全球关注的热点问题。微塑料不仅会对生物体造成物理损伤,而且微塑料会吸附环境中的疏水性有机污染物(HOCs),也能释放其本身含有的添加型疏水性有机化合物至表面,从而形成复合污染物进入生物体。然而,有关微塑料在污染物生物富集过程中发挥的作用及其机制还不清楚。本文从实验室暴露、野外富集和模型模拟研究3个方面对微塑料作用下HOCs的生物富集规律进行了综述,总结了微塑料作用下的生物富集机制。最后,针对微塑料对HOCs生物富集作用的研究方向提出了几点建议。     

微塑料与农药污染的联合毒性作用研究进展

近海环境中的微塑料污染问题已成为全球性的环境问题,引起了世界范围内的广泛关注。微塑料不仅能够对生物造成物理损伤,而且塑料中的添加剂如邻苯二甲酸酯、双酚A、多溴二苯醚等也会随着塑料的风化而浸出进入环境,对生物产生毒害,同时,微塑料还能吸附海洋环境中的其他污染物,从而对生物产生联合毒性作用。本文综述了微塑料与持久性有机污染物的联合作用,结果表明聚苯乙烯微塑料能够吸附海水中的持久性有机污染物如多环芳烃、多氯联苯、有机氯农药滴滴涕,从而可能导致这些污染物在海洋生物组织中富集,对人类健康存在直接或间接危害。最后本文在总结前人研究的基础上,对未来微塑料与农药污染联合毒性作用的研究方向做了简要分析和展望。     

微塑料在哺乳动物的暴露途径、毒性效应和毒性机制浅述

微塑料广泛存在于大气、土壤和水体环境中,其对人体的危害正受到广泛关注.本文阐述了当前对微塑料在哺乳动物的暴露途径、毒性作用和毒性机制的认识.空气-呼吸系统、食物/饮水-消化系统以及洗漱/护肤产品-皮肤等都是目前最常见的微塑料人体暴露途径,其中消化系统暴露是最主要的方式.目前的研究显示肠道、肝脏和肾脏是主要的微塑料富集部位,可引发肠道菌群失调、肠道功能紊乱以及肝脏脂质代谢紊乱,而对其它组织器官和系统如肺部、肾脏、神经系统、生殖系统等产生的毒性效应尚需更多研究的开展.当前研究显示微塑料的毒性机制主要包括氧化应激和炎症反应,深入的分子机制仍需进一步探讨.本文对微塑料毒性研究的综述将有助于系统认识微塑料的健康危害,为进一步开展微塑料的风险评估提供支持.     

Mechanism and characterization of microplastic aging process: A review

● Methods for estimating the aging of environmental micro-plastics were highlighted. ● Aging pathways & characterization methods of microplastics were related and reviewed. ● Possible approaches to reduce the contamination of microplastics were proposed. ● The prospect and deficiency of degradable plastics were analyzed. With the increasing production of petroleum-based plastics, the problem of environmental pollution caused by plastics has aroused widespread concern. Microplastics, which are formed by the fragmentation of macro plastics, are bio-accumulate easily due to their small size and slow degradation under natural conditions. The aging of plastics is an inevitable process for their degradation and enhancement of adsorption performance toward pollutants due to a series of changes in their physiochemical properties, which significantly increase the toxicity and harm of plastics. Therefore, studies should focus on the aging process of microplastics through reasonable characterization methods to promote the aging process and prevent white pollution. This review summarizes the latest progress in natural aging process and characterization methods to determine the natural aging mechanism of microplastics. In addition, recent advances in the artificial aging of microplastic pollutants are reviewed. The degradation status and by-products of biodegradable plastics in the natural environment and whether they can truly solve the plastic pollution problem have been discussed. Findings from the literature pointed out that the aging process of microplastics lacks professional and exclusive characterization methods, which include qualitative and quantitative analyses. To lessen the toxicity of microplastics in the environment, future research directions have been suggested based on existing problems in the current research. This review could provide a systematic reference for in-depth exploration of the aging mechanism and behavior of microplastics in natural and artificial systems.     

V-shaped substrate for surface and volume enhanced Raman spectroscopic analysis of microplastics

● V-shaped substrate was obtained for SERS analysis of microplastics (diameter ≈ 1 μm). ● Enhancement factor of V-shaped substrate can reach 20 in microplastics detection. ● V-shaped nanopore array can bring additional volume enhancement. ● V-shaped substrate was more economic in application compared to Klarite substrate. Research on the microplastics (MPs) is developing towards smaller size, but corresponding methods for the rapid and accurate detection of microplastics, especially nanoplastics still present challenge. In this work, a novel surface and volume enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate was developed for the rapid detection of microplastic particles below 5 μm. The gold nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited onto the surface and into the V-shaped nanopores of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) through magnetron sputtering or ion sputtering, and then AuNPs@V-shaped AAO SERS substrate was obtained and studied for microplastic detection. SERS performance of AuNPs@V-shaped AAO SERS substrate was evaluated through the detection of polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate microspheres. Results indicated that individual polystyrene sphere with a diameter of 1 μm can be well detected on AuNPs@V-shaped AAO SERS substrate, and the maximum enhancement factor (EF) can reach 20. In addition, microplastics in ambient atmospheric samples were collected and tested to verify the effectiveness of the AuNPs@V-shaped AAO SERS substrate in the real environment. This study provides a rapid, economic and simple method for detecting and identifying microplastics with small size.     

海洋中微塑料的环境行为和生态影响

微塑料一般指直径小于5 mm的微小型塑料颗粒或碎片,海洋中常见的微塑料类型主要包括聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚苯乙烯、聚氯乙烯等。由于形状、颜色多变,分子量大,结构稳定,粒径范围与浮游植物相近,海洋中的微塑料很容易对浮游植物、浮游动物和其他海洋动物等产生影响。微塑料还可以为病毒、细菌提供附着载体,影响浮游植物分布,进入海洋生物消化道或进一步转移到组织中对机体产生毒性效应,甚至通过捕食作用沿食物链传递,对高等动物及人类健康造成威胁。此外,微塑料可以作为海水中痕量化学物质的吸附载体,对生物产生联合毒性。根据目前对微塑料的研究进展情况,未来应加强对海洋微塑料分离、鉴定技术的研发以及海洋微塑料的生物毒性效应和生物传递效应机制等问题的研究。     

Microplastic contamination in Great Lakes fish

Freshwater ecosystems, generally adjacent to human population and more contaminated relative to adjacent marine ecosystems, are vulnerable to microplastic contamination. We sampled 7 species of fish from Lake Ontario and Lake Superior and assessed their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts to quantify ingested microplastics and other anthropogenic particles. A subset of the microparticles were chemically analyzed to confirm polymer types and anthropogenic origins. We documented the highest concentration of microplastics and other anthropogenic microparticles ever reported in bony fish. We found 12,442 anthropogenic microparticles across 212 fish (8 species) from nearshore Lake Ontario, 943 across 50 fish (1 species) from Humber River, and 3094 across 119 fish (7 species) from Lake Superior. Fish from Lake Ontario had the greatest mean abundance of anthropogenic microparticles in their GI tracts (59 particles/fish [SD 104]), with up to 915 microparticles in a single fish. Fish from Lake Superior contained a mean [SD] of 26 [74] particles/fish, and fish from Humber River contained 19 [14] particles/fish. Most particles were microfibers. Overall, ≥90% of particles were anthropogenic, of which 35-59% were microplastics. Polyethylene (24%), polyethylene terephthalate (20%), and polypropylene (18%) were the most common microplastics. Ingestion of anthropogenic particles was significantly different among species within Lake Ontario (p < 0.05), and the abundance of anthropogenic particles increased as fish length increased in Lake Ontario (ρ = 0.62). Although we cannot extrapolate the concentration of microplastics in the water and sediments of these fish, the relatively high abundance of microplastics in the GI tracts of fish suggests environmental exposure may be above threshold concentrations for risk.     

我国沿海机动车轮胎磨损橡胶微粒释放量初步估算

环境微塑料是当前环境领域关注热点,并被列为环境与生态科学研究领域的关键科学问题。机动车轮胎因与路面摩擦而向环境不断释放橡胶微粒,因此,机动车轮胎经摩擦释放的橡胶微粒被认为是环境微塑料主要初生源之一。基于我国公路总里程位居世界首位和机动车保有量占世界第二的实际情况,以2016年为基准年,采用经验公式方法估算了我国沿海地区机动车轮胎释放的橡胶微粒水平。结果表明,我国沿海机动车轮胎摩擦释放橡胶微粒量为189 965.91 t,其中广东省释放量最高,占全国沿海省(市)释放总量的24.09%以上,而广西省释放量最小,占比为1.41%。另外,土壤是轮胎橡胶微粒的主要释放去向,橡胶微粒对土壤环境产生的潜在影响需及早引起关注。