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Abdel Ghani SA, Shobier AH, El-Sayed AAM, Shreadah MA, Shabaka S. Quantifying microplastics pollution in the Red Sea and Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba: Insights from chemical analysis and pollution load assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 901:166031. [PMID: 37541508 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) constitute the majority of marine plastic litter. The pollution caused by MPs has been categorized as a gradual and persistent crisis, but little is known about its extent along the shores of the Red Sea, particularly on the Egyptian side. The Red Sea is a rapidly developing region and home to critical ecosystems with high levels of endemism. This study represents the first comprehensive survey investigating the extent of MP pollution along the Egyptian shores of the Red Sea, including the Gulf of Suez and Aqaba. Mean concentrations ranged from 23.3 ± 15.28 to 930.0 ± 181.9 MPs/kg DW. Out of 17 beaches surveyed, 12 had mean concentrations of <200 items/kg, indicating a low occurrence of MPs compared to the shores of the Mediterranean Coast of Egypt. The pollution load index varied from low to medium levels in most locations. Ras Mohamed, a marine protected area, showed high vulnerability to MP pollution. All the investigated particles were fragments of secondary MPs. The sources of pollution mainly come from maritime activities, including cargo shipping and intense recreational activities. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy identified four plastic polymers, with polyethylene and polypropylene being the most common. The surface morphology of plastic particles was examined using scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. All the particles exhibited signs of degradation, which could generate countless plastic pieces with possible deleterious impacts. This work has highlighted the importance of conducting region-specific assessments of mismanaged plastic waste, focusing on the role of tourism and recreational navigation as contributors to plastic litter, to estimate plastic waste inputs into the waters of the Red Sea Coast of Egypt. Efforts are needed to develop strategic plans to reduce the disposal of plastic waste in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aida H Shobier
- National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Niof, Egypt
| | | | - M A Shreadah
- National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Niof, Egypt
| | - Soha Shabaka
- National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Niof, Egypt.
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Svigruha R, Prikler B, Farkas A, Ács A, Fodor I, Tapolczai K, Schmidt J, Bordós G, Háhn J, Harkai P, Kaszab E, Szoboszlay S, Pirger Z. Presence, variation, and potential ecological impact of microplastics in the largest shallow lake of Central Europe. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 883:163537. [PMID: 37075990 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The presence of microplastics (MPs) in the global ecosystem has generated a rapidly growing concern worldwide. Although their presence in the marine environment has been well-studied, much less data are available on their abundance in freshwaters. MPs alone and in combination with different chemicals has been shown to cause acute and chronic effects on algae and aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate species at different biological levels. However, the combined ecotoxicological effects of MPs with different chemicals on aquatic organisms are still understudied in many species and the reported data are often controversial. In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, the presence of MPs in Lake Balaton, which is the largest shallow lake of Central Europe and an important summer holiday destination. Moreover, we exposed neonates of the well-established ecotoxicological model organism Daphnia magna to different MPs (polystyrene [3 μm] or polyethylene [≤ 100 μm]) alone and in combination with three progestogen compounds (progesterone, drospirenone, levonorgestrel) at an environmentally relevant concentration (10 ng L-1) for 21 days. The presence of 7 polymer types of MPs in the size range of 50-100 μm was detected in Lake Balaton. Similarly to the global trends, polypropylene and polyethylene MPs were the most common types of polymer. The calculated polymer-independent average particle number was 5.5 particles m-3 (size range: 50 μm - 100 μm) which represents the values detected in other European lakes. Our ecotoxicological experiments confirmed that MPs and progestogens can affect D. magna at the behavioral (body size and reproduction) and biochemical (detoxification-related enzyme activity) levels. The joint effects were negligible. The presence of MPs may lead to reduced fitness in the aquatic biota in freshwaters such as Lake Balaton, however, the potential threat of MPs as vectors for progestogens may be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réka Svigruha
- Ecophysiological and Environmental Toxicological Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - Bence Prikler
- Eurofins-Wessling Hungary Ltd, 1045 Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Anna Farkas
- Ecophysiological and Environmental Toxicological Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - András Ács
- Ecophysiological and Environmental Toxicological Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - István Fodor
- Ecophysiological and Environmental Toxicological Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - Kálmán Tapolczai
- Aquatic Botany and Microbial Ecology Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - János Schmidt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Gábor Bordós
- Eurofins-Wessling Hungary Ltd, 1045 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Judit Háhn
- Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Péter Harkai
- Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Edit Kaszab
- Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Sándor Szoboszlay
- Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Pirger
- Ecophysiological and Environmental Toxicological Research Group, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 8237 Tihany, Hungary.
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Huang L, Zhang W, Zhou W, Chen L, Liu G, Shi W. Behaviour, a potential bioindicator for toxicity analysis of waterborne microplastics: A review. Trends Analyt Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.117044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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