Huang Chi-Wei, Li Yi-Lin, Lin Chitsan, Bui Xuan-Thanh, Vo Thi-Dieu-Hien, Ngo Huu Hao
Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan.
Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Maritime Science and Technology, College of Maritime, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 81157, Taiwan.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Feb 10;859(Pt 1):160021. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160021. Epub 2022 Nov 8.
Emerging contaminant microplastics (MPs) are getting worldwide attention for their ubiquitous occurrence and potential risk to the environment. However, the seasonal influence on freshwater MP pollution remains poorly understood. To better understand and evaluate the riverine MPs in different seasons, this study conducted the risk assessment of MPs in an urban river, Houjin River, during the different seasons. The present study found that the MPs (0.1-5 mm, mostly 0.1-2 mm) were more abundant in the dry season (183.33 ± 128.95 items/m) compared with the wet season (102.08 ± 45.80 items/m). Similarly, the mixture of different MPs polymers was more diverse in the dry season. The related pollution indices such as the contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) showed that average CF and PLI were 5.15 and 2.10 in the dry season, which significantly decreased to 1.58 and 1.25, respectively, in the wet season (p < 0.05). Additionally, significant difference of the average risk quotient (RQ) was observed, which was 0.037 in the dry season and 0.021 in the wet season (p < 0.05). To sum up, the results of this study indicate the seasonal effects on the pollution and risk of multiple compositions of MPs in the urban river, suggesting higher impacts of riverine MPs pollution in the dry season, as well as the potential increase of MPs, may lead to environmental risk in the future.
新兴污染物微塑料（MPs）因其在环境中普遍存在及其潜在风险而受到全球关注。然而，季节对淡水微塑料污染的影响仍知之甚少。为了更好地理解和评估不同季节河流中的微塑料，本研究对一条城市河流——后津河在不同季节进行了微塑料的风险评估。本研究发现，微塑料（0.1 - 5毫米，大多为0.1 - 2毫米）在旱季（183.33 ± 128.95个/米）比雨季（102.08 ± 45.80个/米）更为丰富。同样，不同微塑料聚合物的混合物在旱季更为多样。相关污染指数如污染因子（CF）和污染负荷指数（PLI）显示，旱季的平均CF和PLI分别为5.15和2.10，而在雨季则显著降至1.58和1.25（p < 0.05）。此外，观察到平均风险商（RQ）存在显著差异，旱季为0.037，雨季为0.021（p < 0.05）。综上所述，本研究结果表明季节对城市河流中微塑料多种成分的污染和风险有影响，表明旱季河流微塑料污染影响更大，而且微塑料的潜在增加可能在未来导致环境风险。
