Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Mar;164:112044. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112044. Epub 2021 Jan 30.
Given the increase in plastic production, persistence, and toxicity in the environment, understanding the probability of microplastics (MPs) accumulation in the sediments of the rivers' estuary is urgently needed. In this study, sediments of the estuary of 17 rivers, ending to the Caspian Sea, were evaluated at two depths (0-5 cm and 5-15 cm). Plastic particles were categorized into two groups in terms of size: small MPs and large MPs. The combination of observational techniques, FTIR, and SEM analysis was applied to identify MPs. The mean of MPs in 17 rivers was obtained at a depth of 0 to 15 cm of sediments 350.6 ± 232.6 MP/kg. The fiber was identified as the predominant particles in sediments, and foam-shaped particles were the least amount in the sediment. In terms of polymer structure, polyethylene (PE) (20%) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (2%) showed the highest and lowest prevalence, respectively. In the current study, the number of MPs was higher than the average of MPs in sediments of recreational-tourist areas and non-tourist areas of the southern Caspian coast. Results from this study indicate that sediments of the rivers' estuary are a hotspot of plastic particle pollution. Therefore, plastic management in the path of the Caspian catchment area of Iran, and cleaning rivers coast and rivers mouth from plastic is recommended.
鉴于塑料在环境中的产量增加、持久性和毒性，迫切需要了解微塑料（MPs）在河口沉积物中积累的可能性。在这项研究中，评估了流入里海的 17 条河流的河口处两个深度（0-5 厘米和 5-15 厘米）的沉积物。根据大小，将塑料颗粒分为两类：小 MPs 和大 MPs。采用观察技术、FTIR 和 SEM 分析相结合的方法来识别 MPs。在 17 条河流中，MPs 的平均值在 0 到 15 厘米深的沉积物中为 350.6±232.6 MP/kg。纤维被确定为沉积物中的主要颗粒，而泡沫状颗粒在沉积物中的含量最少。就聚合物结构而言，聚乙烯（PE）（20%）和聚氯乙烯（PVC）（2%）的出现率最高和最低。在本研究中，MPs 的数量高于里海南部休闲旅游区和非旅游区沉积物中 MPs 的平均值。本研究结果表明，河流河口的沉积物是塑料颗粒污染的热点。因此，建议在伊朗里海集水区的路径上进行塑料管理，并清理河流沿岸和河口的塑料。
