Laboratorio Mixto de Biotecnología Acuática, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Apr;28(13):16140-16151. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-11686-z. Epub 2020 Nov 28.
Plastic pollution and the numerous consequences it has on aquatic life have become a huge concern in recent years. While many studies have been conducted in marine environments, studies in freshwater ecosystems are scarce and insufficient. The Paraná River is the most important water course in the La Plata River basin and the fifth in the world with a mean annual discharge of 18,000 m per second. Currently available studies show the presence of plastic in river shores and fish gut, but more research should be carried out in order to know the extension and origin of plastic contamination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify and characterize macro-, meso-, and microplastics found in the riverine beaches next to Rosario city, the most populated city standing by the lower Paraná River coast in Argentina. The results show that plastic pollution is ubiquitous, but the city shores are significantly more polluted than the wetland shore with a mean of 30,780 and 6375 microplastics per square meter respectively (p = 0.024). The food and beverage industry packaging combined were the most frequent macroplastics found. Also, 3 out of 4 meso- and microplastics were white/transparent, the color that is most likely to be ingested by fish and invertebrates. Finally, all micro- and mesoplastics found were secondary and, in the case of microplastics, they were mainly fibers (93.4%) which highlight its ecological relevance. As a whole, plastic contamination is a serious issue in the Rosario area, specially single-use plastics and short-lived products. The anthropic effect of the cities and how it contributes to plastic pollution are evident.
近年来，塑料污染及其对水生生物造成的诸多影响已成为一个重大问题。虽然已经在海洋环境中进行了许多研究，但在淡水生态系统中的研究却很少且不足。巴拉那河是拉普拉塔河流域最重要的水道，也是全球第五大河，平均年流量为每秒 18,000 立方米。目前的研究表明，在河岸边和鱼类肠道中存在塑料，但需要进行更多的研究以了解塑料污染的范围和来源。因此，本研究的目的是量化和描述罗萨里奥市附近河流海滩中发现的宏、中、微塑料，罗萨里奥市是阿根廷巴拉那河下游海岸人口最多的城市。研究结果表明，塑料污染无处不在，但城市海滩的污染明显比湿地海滩严重，平均每平方米分别有 30,780 和 6375 个微塑料（p = 0.024）。食品和饮料行业的包装是最常见的大型塑料。此外，4 个中、微塑料中有 3 个是白色/透明的，这是鱼类和无脊椎动物最有可能摄入的颜色。最后，所有发现的微塑料和中塑料都是二次塑料，而微塑料主要是纤维（93.4%），这突出了其生态相关性。总的来说，塑料污染是罗萨里奥地区的一个严重问题，特别是一次性塑料和寿命短的产品。城市的人为影响及其对塑料污染的贡献是显而易见的。
