Microplastic pollution in seawater and marine organisms across the Tropical Eastern Pacific and Galápagos

Abstract

Detection of plastic debris degrading into micro particles across all oceanic environments and inside of marine organisms is no longer surprising news. Microplastic contamination now appears as one of the world’s environmental main concerns. To determine the levels of microplastic pollution at sea, water samples were collected across a 4000 km-trajectory in the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Galápagos archipelago, covering an area of 453,000 square kilometres. Furthermore, 240 specimens of 16 different species of fish, squid, and shrimp, all of human consumption, were collected along the continental coast. Microplastic particles were found in 100% of the water samples and marine organisms. Microplastic particles ranging from 150 to 500 µm in size were the most predominant. This is one of the first reports simultaneously detecting and quantifying microplastic particles abundance and their impact on marine organisms of this region.

Microplastics waste in environment: A perspective on recycling issues from PPE kits and face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Although the intentional addition of primary MPs to non-essential products has been banned in a number of countries ( Anagnosti et al, 2021 ), it is nearly impossible to control the increasing amount of secondary MPs. For example, the marine system receives an estimated 4.8–12.7 × 10 6 t of plastic waste each year due to improper waste management ( Alfaro-Nunez et al, 2021 , Eriksen et al, 2014 ).…”

“…After degradation, MPs are highly dispersed and can either settle out to the seabed or enter the food chain. Although the penetration mechanism of these alien particles through the epithelium of living organisms after being inhaled or ingested is unclear, plastic fragments with a diameter of 5– have been found in the placentas of pregnant women ( Ragusa et al, 2021 , Alfaro-Núñez et al, 2021 ). Moreover, the concern regarding MPs also relates to the remaining additives used in plastic manufacturing processes, which are often known as endocrine disrupting chemicals and can have severe effects on the health of living organisms ( Chen et al, 2019 ).…”

Potential Effects of Persistent Organic Contaminants on Marine Biota: A Review on Recent Research

“…The current chapter aims: (i) to present and discuss the research that has been conducted concerning the lethal and sub-lethal impacts of selected organic-synthetic stressors on different plant and animal marine species, (ii) to summarize the observed or predicted combined effects after exposure to chemical mixtures of such contaminants based on the data published from 2016, and (iii) to highlight the future research needs depending on the knowledge gaps that may remain in the relevant bibliography. Several different classes of POPs have been detected in the global marine system during the last years [2][3][4][5][6]. For instance, the detection of microplastic pollution in seawater and marine organisms in samples taken from the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Galápagos archipelago has been reported in a recently published research of Alfaro-Núñez et al (2021) [2].…”

“…According to the relevant literature, numerous invisible and visible pollutants, either individual or contained in chemical mixtures, have the potential after their entrance into the ocean to travel for long distances and periods of time that are dependent on their persistence, bioavailability, mobility, and distribution into the different compartments of marine ecosystems (water column, sediment, and biota), and consequently cause impacts on a wide range of marine organisms many degrees of latitude and longitude away from their origin and their entrance to the sea system [1]. Several different classes of POPs have been detected in the global marine system during the last years [2][3][4][5][6]. For instance, the detection of microplastic pollution in seawater and marine organisms in samples taken from the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Galápagos archipelago has been reported in a recently published research of Alfaro-Núñez et al (2021) [2].…”

“…Several different classes of POPs have been detected in the global marine system during the last years [2][3][4][5][6]. For instance, the detection of microplastic pollution in seawater and marine organisms in samples taken from the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Galápagos archipelago has been reported in a recently published research of Alfaro-Núñez et al (2021) [2]. The occurrence and spatial distribution of 158 pharmaceuticals, drugs of abuse and related metabolites in offshore seawater have been examined by Alygizakis et al (2016) [4].…”