Microplastic occurrence and phthalate ester levels in neuston samples and skin biopsies of filter-feeding megafauna from La Paz Bay (Mexico)

Microplastics in Cetaceans Stranded on the Portuguese Coast

“…The levels of microplastics ingested by the analysed individuals should not be enough to cause physical and chemical sublethal effects, as in similar studies [48,51,82], it is not yet understood to what extent microplastics act as a vector of toxic pollutants (e.g., organochlorides and heavy metals) from the seawater into the tissues of marine mammals and the effects they may have [19,122]. Phthalate (plastic additives) concentrations, used as proxies for plastic litter ingestion, have been recently reported in the blubber of blue and fin whales [123][124][125], in the urine of bottlenose dolphins [126], in the liver of harbour porpoises [127] and in muscle samples of several odontocete species [50]. Nevertheless, the correlation between the presence of microplastics and the bioaccumulation of toxic pollutants in cetacean tissues is still poorly understood, emphasising the need for further research on the mechanisms of metabolisation, accumulation and excretion of pollutants (including microplastics) in cetaceans, particularly in populations with concerning conservation status and declining trends, such as the Iberian harbour porpoise population.…”

Presence of Microplastics in the Vaquita Marina Protection Zone in Baja California, Mexico

“…In most of the research that presents the occurrence of microplastics in marine ecosystems, the polymers that appear in the most significant proportions are polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and this could be due not only to the fact that they are widely used in the production of plastic products globally but also because their density is lower than that of seawater, so they can float and be transported more easily through surface currents [31][32][33]. Finally, regarding sizes, only the present study and that of Galli et al [30] report them, and in both, there is agreement that small MP (0.5-1.0 mm) constituted an important proportion (23% and 27%, respectively).…”

“…Concerning MP studies in surface water, this article is the first carried out in the marine region of the Gulf of California, whose concentrations obtained were found in the range of 0.000-0.020 MP/m 3 . In a study carried out in the Norwest Pacific, by Ramírez-Álvarez et al [28], MP concentrations in the range of 0.01-0.70 plastic particles/m 3 were reported in Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, while in the studies carried out in Urias estuary Lagoon and Mazatlan Bay by Ríos-Mendoza et al [29], and La Paz Bay by Galli et al [30] higher concentrations were obtained (1.7-2 MP/m 3 and 0-0.24 MP/m 3 , respectively) than those of this study.…”

“…Surface water 68% of the samples contained MP, total of MP: 67, range: 0-0.24 MP/m 3 . MP characteristics 1 : black and blue, fragments (81%) and fibers (10%), 1-2.5 mm (5%) and 0.5-1 mm (27%), PE (52%) and PP (27%) [30] Phthalates esters (PAEs) The sources by which plastic and microplastic waste could reach the Gulf of California area are mainly: anthropogenic human activities carried out on land, population growth, tourist activities, fishing, proximity from ports, wastewater discharge, runoff caused by rain, winds, and sea currents [29][30][31]37]. The latter plays a fundamental role in the distribution of plastics that are floating on the surface water.…”