Plastic and other microfibers in sediments, macroinvertebrates and shorebirds from three intertidal wetlands of southern Europe and west Africa.

Plastic and other microfibers in sediments, macroinvertebrates and shorebirds from three intertidal wetlands of southern Europe and west Africa. Environ Pollut. 2017 Aug 07;231(Pt 1):123-133 Authors: Lourenço PM, Serra-Gonçalves C, Ferreira JL, Catry T, Granadeiro JP Abstract Microplastics are widespread in aquatic environments and can be ingested by a wide range of organisms. They can also be transferred along food webs. Estuaries and other tidal wetlands may be particularly prone to this type of pollution due to their particular hydrological characteristics and sewage input, but few studies have compared wetlands with different anthropogenic pressure. Furthermore, there is no information on microplastic transfer to secondary intertidal consumers such as shorebirds. We analysed intertidal sediments, macroinvertebrates and shorebirds, from three important wetlands along the Eastern Atlantic (Tejo estuary, Portugal; Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania and Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau), in order to evaluate the prevalence and transfer of microplastics along the intertidal food web. We further investigated variables that could explain the distribution of microplastics within the intertidal areas of the Tejo estuary. Microfibers were recorded in a large proportion of sediment samples (91%), macroinvertebrates (60%) and shorebird faeces (49%). μ-FTIR analysis indicated only 52% of these microfibers were composed of synthetic polymers (i.e...
Source: Environmental Pollution - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: research