Abundance and characterization of microplastics in the coastal waters of Tuscany (Italy): The application of the MSFD monitoring protocol in the Mediterranean Sea

Assessing meso- and microplastic pollution in the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas

“…Having the majority of the sample be within the microplastic size range is a finding which stands in agreement with studies conducted in seas and oceans across the globe, such as the study published by Eriksen et al (2014) that reported microplastic particles composed the majority of their samples and may account for as much as 92% of the global plastic particle count in oceans (Eriksen et al, 2014). However, the concentration of plastic particles reported in this study (28,376 ± 28,917 particles km −2 ) is lower than those reported for similar studies in the area, such as the one conducted by Baini et al that reported an average of 69,161 ± 83,244 particles km −2 (Baini et al, 2018). One plausible explanation for such differences is the high heterogeneity of the plastic pollution present within the Mediterranean, which has been referred to Fig.…”

“…When considering the sample according to the shape of the particles, fragments account for the bulk of the overall sample collected (65%) with the fraction of the microplastic sample that is fragments being even higher (82%). Studies conducted by Baini et al (2018) and Gündoğdu and Çevik (2017) have also reported the largest fraction of their samples were plastic fragments (81% and~60%, respectively) (Baini et al, 2018;Gündoğdu and Çevik, 2017). This high prevalence of microplastic fragments is likely the result of weathering of macro-and mesoplastics through UV light and mechanical force from wind and waves.…”

“…for meso and microplastics) were polyethylene (46%), polypropylene (19%), polystyrene (8%), and polyamide (19%). These polymer types are reported to be among the most common types utilized in the production of food packaging, plastic bags, children's toys, and other common consumer goods, and were reported as the most prevalent in additional studies conducted in the area (PlasticsEurope, 2018;Baini et al, 2018).…”

“…the high and low seasons for tourism) over the course of several years to aid in the understanding of the impact of such variable pollution sources. Additionally, an experimental setup similar to the transect sampling conducted by Baini et al could be conducted near regions where majors rivers flow into the Mediterranean, or near busy harbors such as the Port of Genoa, in order to provide a better understanding of the true impact of these potential pollution sources, and the long-term fate of the plastic particles introduced into the Mediterranean via such sources (Baini et al, 2018).…”

Microplastics and their associated organic pollutants from the coastal waters of the central Adriatic Sea (Italy): Investigation of adipogenic effects in vitro

“…Samples were rinsed from the outside to the end of the net, placed in glass containers and immediately stored at 4 °C until the sorting using a stereomicroscope. To prevent external contamination during the analysis, the laboratory procedures were performed according to Baini et al (2018).…”