Neglected microplastics pollution in the nearshore surface waters derived from coastal fishery activities in Weihai, China

Abiotic factors associated with microplastic pollution in surface water of a tropical estuary

“…The mean abundance of MPs in the downstream waters of the Paraíba River estuary was high, but the lack of data on contamination by MPs impedes a more precise regional comparison regarding temporal and spatial levels. However, comparing the abundance of MPs with values reported in other studies using the same sampling method (plankton net), such as in the estuary of the Goiana River in Pernambuco State, northeast Brazil (0.26 items/m 3 ) (Lima et al, 2014), the English Research, Society andDevelopment, v. 11, n. 12, e164111234457, 2022 (CC BY 4.0) | ISSN 2525-3409 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i12.34457 Channel (0.27 items/m 3 ) (Cole et al, 2014) and the Bohai Sea, China (0.33 ± 0.36 items/m 3 ) (Zhang et al, 2017), the abundance in the present study was higher than that found for the Tamar Estuary in England (0.028 itens/m 3 ) (Sadri & Thompson, 2014) and lower than that found in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro State, southeast Brazil (4.8 items/m 3 ) (Figueiredo & Vianna, 2018) and on the coast of Weihai, China (5.9 ± 3.5 items/m 3 ) (Zhang et al, 2021).…”

“…Attributing the high abundance of MPs to fishing activities is also common in studies that investigate MPs in the aquatic environment (Cardozo et al, 2018;Zhu et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2021).…”

“…The high incidence of MPs has been reported in numerous marine environments, occurring in sediments (Claessens et al, 2011), on beaches (Martinelli Filho & Monteiro, 2019, on islands (Ivar do Sul & Costa, 2013), on surface waters (Schönlau et al, 2020) and in fishes (Vendel et al, 2017). Thus, the organisms that inhabit aquatic environments are exposed to the ingestion of MPs, which pose chemical and physical risks (Wright et al, 2013) and can cause endocrine and reproductive disorders (Shen et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2021) as well as obstruction of the digestive tract (Wright et al, 2013).…”

“…Moreover, MPs can serve as vectors for the transference of additives and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which are bioaccumulated and biomagnified in organisms (Oehlmann et al, 2009;Rochman et al, 2013). The interaction between marine organisms and MPs, especially in coastal waters, is also the cause of concern regarding the potential risk to human health (Cole et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2021) through the food chain (Wright et al, 2013). Humans receive MPs not only through ingestion, but also through dermal pathways and inhalation (Senathirajah et al, 2021), these authors estimate that each person ingests, on average, 0.1 to 5.0 g of microplastics per week throughout the world.…”

“…Humans receive MPs not only through ingestion, but also through dermal pathways and inhalation (Senathirajah et al, 2021), these authors estimate that each person ingests, on average, 0.1 to 5.0 g of microplastics per week throughout the world. The transfer of plastic material through tissue has been confirmed (Fabra et al, 2021) and several commercial species consumed by the human population have been the focus of studies on the ingestion of MPs (Cole et al, 2013;Miranda & De Carvalho-Souza, 2016;Zhang et al, 2021).…”