Xie Jian-Yun, Li Bo, Jia Qun-Po, Li Xiao, Zhao Qin, Fan Pei-Dang, Wang Chang-Qing, Zhang Liu-Yi
Three Gorges·Reservoir Area Environment·and·Ecology of Chongqing Observation and Research Station, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Water Environment Evolution and Pollution Prevention and Control in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing 404000, China.
Eco-Environmental Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, Yellow River Basin Ecology and Environment Administration, Zhengzhou 450004, China.
Toxics. 2025 Sep 15;13(9):781. doi: 10.3390/toxics13090781.
Microplastics have become a global environmental issue, and this challenge has also emerged in river environments. In this study, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) was selected as the research area, and microplastics in water and sediments were chosen as the objects. The occurrence characteristics of microplastics were presented in rivers of the TGR through the methods of field sample collection and laboratory testing, and the risks of microplastics were evaluated using the pollution risk index (PRI) and potential ecological risk index. The results showed that the average abundances of microplastics in water and sediments of the rivers from the TGR were 15,464 particles/m and 1838 particles/kg, respectively. Furthermore, the main colors of microplastics in water and sediments of the TGR were black and blue, and the particle sizes were concentrated in the range of 200 to 500 μm. Polypropylene and polyethylene were the major polymers of microplastics in the water of the TGR, while the polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer was dominant in sediments. The PRIs in the water of the Yangtze River and its tributary from the TGR area were 2.45 and 1.72, respectively, and their PRIs were 2.43 and 2.01 in sediments, respectively, showing a low risk of pollution (level I). The average comprehensive potential ecological risk indices (RIs) for the Yangtze River and its tributaries were 27.28 and 18.82 in the water of the TGR, respectively, indicating low and moderate risk grades. However, there was a significantly high risk in sediment, and the average RI was 130.57 for the Yangtze River and 70.05 for the tributaries. Importantly, the neglected risks of microplastics in the river environment of the TGR area have been revealed, which provides a critical basis for the prevention and control of microplastic pollution here.
微塑料已成为一个全球性的环境问题，这一挑战在河流环境中也已出现。在本研究中，选取三峡水库（TGR）作为研究区域，将水体和沉积物中的微塑料作为研究对象。通过现场采样和实验室检测的方法，呈现了三峡水库河流中微塑料的赋存特征，并利用污染风险指数（PRI）和潜在生态风险指数对微塑料的风险进行了评估。结果表明，三峡水库河流的水体和沉积物中微塑料的平均丰度分别为15464个/立方米和1838个/千克。此外，三峡水库水体和沉积物中微塑料的主要颜色为黑色和蓝色，粒径集中在200至500微米范围内。聚丙烯和聚乙烯是三峡水库水体中微塑料的主要聚合物类型，而沉积物中以聚丙烯 - 聚乙烯共聚物为主。三峡水库区域长江及其支流的水体中PRI分别为2.45和1.72，沉积物中的PRI分别为2.43和2.01，表明污染风险较低（一级）。三峡水库水体中长江及其支流的平均综合潜在生态风险指数（RI）分别为27.28和18.82，表明风险等级为低和中。然而，沉积物中存在显著高风险，长江的平均RI为130.57，支流为70.05。重要的是，揭示了三峡水库区域河流环境中被忽视的微塑料风险，这为该地区微塑料污染的防控提供了关键依据。
