Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems Flashcards
what are micrplastics
fibres, fragments,p pellets, film and beds less than 5mm in diameter
what have the marine & freshwater research centre ATU galeay refined the definition of microplastics
are any synthetic, solid particle or polymeric matrix with regular or irregular shape; a size ranging from 1 uM to 5mm; of either primary or secindary origin and is insoluble in water
What does plastic fibers and fragments containing LD-PE, PS and PP mean
They contain polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene
How many different polymer materials are registered for use in EU
30,000 different polymer materials
What shapes can micro plastics be
Fibers
Irregular
Pellets
Filament
Granules
Rope
What is primary production of micro plastics
Plastic produced that is designed to be a certain shape/dimension (micro beads in exfoliants)
Production of resin pellets for manufacture of large plastic products
What is meant by secondary production of micro plastics
What happens from the breakdown of larger plastics from weathering and abrasion
How much plastic is Europe estimated to produce by 2050
33 B worth of plastics
(Plastics Europe, 2022)
Estimated that 10 rivers carry what percentage of all river borne plastic into the ocean
95% (Schmidt et al, 2017)
These rivers are:
Niger, Nile, indus, Ganges, yellow river, Mekong, pearl river, Yangtze, Amur and Hai He
What percentage of marine plastic pollution originated from land
80%
~1900 fibers per garment can be lost when…
During washing from personal hygiene care products that have intentional loss of micro plastics
Sources of micro plastics are…
Plastic pellets 257000k/tonnes
Synthetic textiles 588,000k/tonnes
Tyres
Road markings
Marine coatings
Personal care products
Where is the vast majority of plastics made?
The vast majority of plastics EVER made are still present in the environment (Thompson et Al, 2005)
How does plastic impact aquatic biota
Causes physical harm and behavioral effects
Ingestion (mussels, zooplankton, fish)
Entanglement
Internal abrasion and external laceration
Micro plastics replacing digestible food
Ghost fishing
Why are micro plastics so easily ingested by wildlife
Smaller particles have greater potential to be ingested by a greater range of organisms
Can permeate body tissue = inflammatory response
