Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2017 Jan 1;575:1369-1374. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.213. Epub 2016 Sep 29.
Microplastics have been considered as an emerging pollutant in the aquatic environment. However, research about microplastic pollution in inland freshwaters of China is insufficient. The present study investigated the levels of microplastics in surface water of 20 urban lakes and urban reaches of the Hanjiang River and Yangtze River of Wuhan, the largest city in central China. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 1660.0±639.1 to 8925±1591n/m for the studied waters, with the highest concentration found in Bei Lake. Microplastic abundance in lakes varied markedly in space, and negatively correlated with the distance from the city center (p<0.001), which confirmed the important role of anthropogenic factors in microplastic distribution. Urban reaches of the Hanjiang River and Yangtze River were found to have relatively lower levels of microplastics than most of the studied lakes. The major type of microplastics among the studied waters was colored plastic, with fiber being the most frequent shape. More than 80% of microplastics in number had a size of <2mm. Polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene were the dominant polymer-types of microplastics analyzed. This study provided important reference for better understanding microplastic levels in inland freshwaters.
微塑料已被视为水生环境中的一种新兴污染物。然而，目前对中国内陆淡水微塑料污染的研究还不够充分。本研究调查了中国中部最大城市武汉的 20 个城市湖泊和汉江、长江城区段地表水中微塑料的含量。研究水域的微塑料浓度范围为 1660.0±639.1 至 8925±1591n/m，其中北湖水的浓度最高。湖泊中微塑料的丰度在空间上差异显著，与距市中心的距离呈负相关（p<0.001），这证实了人为因素在微塑料分布中的重要作用。汉江和长江城区段的微塑料含量明显低于大多数研究湖泊。在所研究的水域中，主要的微塑料类型是有色塑料，纤维是最常见的形状。在所研究的微塑料中，超过 80%的数量尺寸<2mm。聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯和聚丙烯是分析的微塑料中主要的聚合物类型。本研究为更好地了解内陆淡水中微塑料的含量提供了重要参考。
