Numerous studies have quantified microplastics in biological and environmental samples in recent years, but contamination by airborne microplastic particles during laboratory analysis remains an unsettling possibility. We designed and tested a protocol to minimize airborne contamination during the screening of samples in laboratory conditions in order to increase the level of certainty that microplastics counted really comes from samples. Despite the care and default measures in laboratory routine, some airborne contamination in blanks was found (3.8%) at the beginning of sample screenings. After introducing more stringent procedures on our airborne contamination control protocol (ACC Protocol), a highly significant (p<0.0001) reduction was registered (1.1%). Thus, we prove that the use of a more stringent protocol should be an essential part of future studies quantifying microplastics in any samples. This study concludes that a protocol with simple, low-cost, but stringent measures can reduce airborne microplastic contamination, being applicable to any laboratory setting.
The aquatic environment has suffered anthropic impacts through inadequate dumping from domestic, agricultural and industrial sources. Such waste products become fragmented into microplastics (MPs) which accumulate in these ecosystems and cause impact. This study offers the first evaluation of contamination of the surface water by MPs in the Paraíba River estuary, Paraíba State, northeast Brazil. Monthly surface water samples were performed with a phytoplankton net from March 2019 to February 2020, between Restinga Island and the Cabedelo Harbor, downstream of the estuary. About the abiotic factors tested, tide height and precipitation were inversely proportional to MPs abundance at the water surface. While water transparency, wind speed and direction and volume of filtered water did not affect it significantly. A total of 443 MPs were obtained in 1116.26 m3 of filtered water, with a mean abundance of 1.96 ± 1.44 MP/m3, ranging from 0.33 (September) to 4.76 (January). The results reveal an important incidence of MPs pollution downstream in this system. The predominance of MPs fibers (51%) and fragments (48%) result from the slow, natural breakdown of solid waste, confirming the lack of the proper discarding to trash in the João Pessoa metropolitan region. These findings underscore the need for the implementation of simple mitigating measures, such as basic sanitation to reduce local pollution as well as effective routine assessments from the anthropic impact and from water quality control measures in this and many other Brazilian estuaries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.