Researcher - Environmental Challenges



Waterborne MicroplasticsK. O’Day (6/2/15)Microplastics, plastic pieces ≤ 5 mm, have been identified as an emerging water pollution issue.Three sources of microplastic have been identified:Microbeads in consumer productsPlastic fibers from cloths washingPlastic debris degradationSince the author has not been able to locate published data on the occurrence of microplastics in the Schuylkill – Delaware Basin, it is not possible to definitively asses Philadelphia’s upstream microplastic load or the magnitude and ecological effects of Philadelphia’s microplastic discharges to the Delaware River and Estuary.This paper relies on published microplastic data in other areas to assess Philadelphia’s potential microplastic situation, identify potential ecological and human health concerns and develop a prudent microplastic monitoring program to ensure that Philadelphia adequately addresses this emerging issue.Microplastics Around the WorldAquatic microplastics are plastic fragments ≤ 5 mm ( ) that have been found in freshwater, estuarine and marine – ocean environments around the world ( ). Microplastics have been found in a wide range of water bodies with USA water body levels ranging from lower levels of 2,779 pieces/km2 in Lake Huron to 62,000 pieces/km2 in the Hudson River to higher levels up to 259,800 pieces/km2 in the Chesapeake Bay. This table summarizes published freshwater, estuarine and marine microplastic measurements. ResearcherWaterbodyNoObservationsMicroplastic CountPieces/ Km2AvgMaxLaw (2010)North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre6,13620,898580,000 Yonkos (2014)Chesapeake Bay (4 sites)60259,800Mason (2015)Hudson RiverNYC62,000Erisken (2013)Lake ErieUSA8105,503466,305Lake Huron USA82,7796,541Lake Superior USA55,39112,645Lake Geneva Switzerland351,55682,713Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia9 20,26444,435What are microplastics levels in the Schuylkill – lower Delaware River? We need to find out.Types/Sources of MicroplasticsThree types of microplastics have been identified:Microbeads in Consumer ProductsMicroplastic fibers from clothes washingDegradation of plastic debrisMicrobeads are small (<1 mm) manufactured plastic beads that are added to personal care and cosmetic products. Their precise manufactured shape makes them quite distinct from other forms of microplastics. These microbeads, less than one millimeter wide, were found in face scrubs.?5 Gyres InstituteMicroplastics surveys (21 samples) in the Great Lakes by the State University of New York (SUNY) – Fredonia and the 5 Gyres Institute in 2012 found elevated levels of microplastics, comparable to earlier microplastics densities found in the N and S pacific and Atlantic gyres. The Great Lakes surveys found that microbeads dominated.Microplastic Fibers From Clothes Washing - Browne et al (2011) found microplastics (≤ 1 mm) accumulating in marine habitats in “.. 18 sites worldwide representing six continents”. Brown reported that “.. an important source of microplastics appears to be through sewage contaminated by fibers from washing clothes”. Examination of “… microplastics from sediments showed that the proportions of polyester and acrylic fibers used in clothing resembled those found in habitats that receive sewage-discharges and sewage-effluent.”Browne’s team sampled discharge of domestic washing machines and found that a single garment can produce > 1,900 fibers per wash. Assessments of the microplastic fiber removal effectiveness of conventional secondary (activated sludge) wastewater treatment are not conclusive at this time: Browne (2011) reports that sewage treatment plant “Effluents contained on average one particle of microplastic per liter”.The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission reported on an assessment of plastic microliter in the influent and through the treatment process of the St Petersburg wastewater treatment plant. They found that influent microplastic particles were reduced from 160 to 7 particles per liter “after purification”.The Swedish Environment Research Institute (2014) reports a 99% reduction in microplastics through their sampled wastewater treatment plant.Degradation of plastic debris – Plastic in the water environment degrades by fragmenting into smaller and smaller pieces eventually reaching microplastic size if left exposed to UV radiation for sufficient time. Soda bottles, plastic bags and other forms of plastic litter will fragment to smaller and smaller pieces over time. Ecological Impact of MicroplasticsThere are a number of studies that have examined the impact of organisms ingesting microplastic. Several studies are highlighted below to demonstrate the extent of microplastic ingestion research and to outline some early findings by specie.CrabMusselShore birdTurtleFishCopepodesMicroplastics BibliographyK. O’Day (6/2/15)Akpan, Nsikan. 2014. "Microplastics lodge in crab gills and guts." Science News, July 8.Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). 2014. "Microplastics in the ocean: biologists study effects on marine animals." 12 18. Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. 2014. "Pilot study reveals new findings about microplastics in wastewater." 10 30. Marine Environment Protection Commission. n.d. "Synthetic microfibers and particles at a municpal waste water treatment plant." St. Petersburg, Russia.Barnes DK, Galgani F, Thompson RC, Barlaz M. 2009. "Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments." Philosphical Transactions of the Royal Society 1985-1998.Brennecke D, Ferreira EC, Costa TM, Appel D, daGama BAP, Lenz M. 2015. "Ingested microplastics (> 100 um) are translocated to organs of the tropical fiddler crab Uca rapax." Marine Pollution Bulletin. Browne MA, Crump P, Niven SJ, Teuten E, Tonkin A, Galloway T, Thompson R. 2011. "Accumulation of Microplastic on Shoreliens Worldwide: Sources and Sinks." Environmental Science and Technology 9175-9179.Browne MA, Dissanayake A, Galloway TS, Lowe DM, Thompson RC. 2008. "Ingested Microscopic Plastic Translocates to the Circulatory System of the Mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.)." Enviromental Science and Technology 5026-5031.Cole M, Lindeque P, Fileman E, Halsband C, Galloway TS. 2015. "The impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Feeding, Function and Fecundity in the Marine Copepod Calanus helgolandicus." Environmental Science and Technology 1130-1137.Cole M, Lindque P, Halsband C, Galloway TS. 2011. "Micoplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A reivew." Marine Pollution Bulletin 2588-2597.EPA Marine Pollution Control Branch, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. 2015. Summary of Expert Discussion Forum on Possible Human Health Risks from Microplastics in the mariune Environment. EPA Forum Summary, US EPA.Eriksen M, Mason S, Wilson S, Box C, Zellers A, Edwards W, Farley, Amato S. 2013. "Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Larentian Great Lakes." Marine Pollution Bulletin 177-182.European Commission. November, 2011. Plastic Waste: Ecological and Human Health Impacts. In-Depth Report, European Commission, Science for Environment Policy.Free CM, Jensen OP, Mason SA, Erikson M, Williamson Nj. 2014. "High-levels of microplastics in a large, remote moutain lake." MARINE Pollution Bulletin. Goldstein MC, Goodwin DS. October, 2013. "Gooseneck barnacles (Lepas spp.) ingest microplastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre." PeerJ. Green DS, Boots B, Blockley DJ , Rocha C, Thompson R. 2015. "Impacts of Discarded Plastic Bags on Marine Assemblages and Ecosystem Functioning." Environmental Science and Technology. Grossman. 2015. How Microplastics from Fleece Could End Up on Your Plate. 1 15. JR, Geyer R, Wilcox, Siegler TR, Perryman M, Narayan R, Law KL. 2015. "Plastic waste inpiuts from land into the ocean." Science 768-771.Julia, lurie. 2015. "Your Toothpaste May Be Loaded Wih Tiny Plastic Beads That Never Go Away." Motehr Jones, May 28. P (chair), Katsuhiko S, Lee S, Samseth J, Woodrin D. 2011. Plastic Debris in the Ocean. UNEP Year Book, 2011.Law KL, Moret-Ferguson, Maximenko NA, Proturowski G, Peacock E, Haffner J, FReddy CM. 2010. "Plastic Accumulation in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre." Science 1185-1190.Lutz, Lara. 2015. Every little bit counts: Microplastics plague Chesapeake waters. 1 19. Pollution Control Branch, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Wagtersheds, EPA. 2015. "Summary of Expert Discssion Forum on Possible Human Health Ricks from Microplastics in the Marine Environme nt." EPA Forum Convened on April 23, 2014. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. March 20-25, 2011. "Technical Preceedings of teh Fifth International Marine Debris Conference." Edited by Kris McElwee, Sarah Morrison Ben Carswell. Honolulu, Hawaii: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.New York State Attorney General. 2014. "Unseen Threat: How Microbeads Harm New York Waters, Wildlife,Health and Environment." Albany, New Yord. . 2015. Surprise Finding Heightens Concern Over Tny Bits of plastic Polluting Our Oceans. 3 23. , Engler. 2012. "The Complex Interaction betgween Marine Debris and Toxic Chemicals in the Ocean." Environmental Science & Technolgy 12302-12315.Rochman CM, Hah E, Tomofumi, Teh SJ. November, 2013. "Ingested plastic transfers hazardous chemicals to fish and induces hepatic stress." Scientific Reports. Santos RG, Andrades R, Boldrini MA, Martin AS. 2015. "Debris ingestion by juvenile turtles: An underestiamted problem." Marine Pollution Bulletin 37-43.swedish Environmewnt Research institute, Magnusson K, Noren F. 2014. "screening of micoplastic particles in and down-stream of a wastewater treatmenmt plant." Helm: Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. 2015. Plastic fibers emerge as Lake Michigan pollutant. Winter. AM, Gabrielsen GW, Kuhn S, Van Franeker JA. February 13, 2015. "Elevated levels of ingested plastic in high Artic seabird, the northern fulmar (Fulmaus glasialis)." Spriger. Valentino. 2015. The Hudson is Full of Tiny Plastics. And You may Be Too. 3 24. Cauwenberghe L, Janssen CR. 2013. "Microplastics in bivalves cultured for human consumption." Environmental Pollution 65-70.Van Franeker JA, Law KL. 2015. "Seabirds, gyres and global grends in plastic pollution." Environmental Pollution 89-96.Woodall L, Sanchez-Vidal A, Canals M, Paterson GL, Coppock R, Sleight V, Calafat A, Rogers AD, Narayanaswamy BE, Thompson RC. November, 2014. The deep sea is a major sink for micoplastic debris. Royal Society.Wright SL, Thompson RC, Galloway TS. 2013. "The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review." Environmental Pollution 483-492.Yonkos L, Friedel EA, Pewrez-Reyes AC, Ghosal S, Arthur CD. 2014. "Microplastics in Four Estuarine Rivers in the Chesapeake Bay, USA." Environmental Science and Technology 14195-14202. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download