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Sources and Distribution of Microplastics in the United Arab Emirates
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Researchers found that everyday items like plastic cutting boards, road speed bumps, and artificial turf shed microplastics into UAE soil, dust, water, and even food. Cutting food on plastic boards added measurable plastic bits to meals, and tests showed these tiny particles can also move up the food chain from small organisms to fish, meaning they could eventually end up on your plate.
Microplastics (plastic pieces size) are an emerging environmental contaminant that is ubiquitously present in terrestrial, aquatic and aerial environments. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is categorized among the highest domestic waste producing countries (on per capita basis) in the world. A large portion of waste ends up in the environment and contains macro-, meso- and microplastics. No comprehensive study has been carried out in the UAE to investigate the abundance, sources, distribution and impact of microplastics on its environment. Therefore, a comprehensive study to analyze the sources and distribution of microplastics in the UAE was urgently needed. The objective of the current research work was to explore the classical sources of microplastics (cosmetics, tire, road wear) and to find out potentially new or non-classical sources of microplastics found in UAE environment. The three-year (2018-2020) trends of microplastics usage in cosmetic products in the United Arab Emirates markets was explored. The micro-tire concentration in hot arid environment and abrasion pattern of old tires was investigated. As new or non-classical sources of microplastics were found plastic abraded from plastic cutting boards, wear material from road speed bumps, and loosened particles from artificial turfs. The microplastic origin from these sources and their presence in different environmental matrices was investigated. In case of plastic cutting boards, microplastic contamination load in food cut on these cutting boards was quantified. The physical changes in microplastics structure during cooking process was also investigated for microplastics abraded from plastic cutting boards into food. Additionally, the distribution of microplastic in soil, in the sediments of wadis, in road dust, and in run-off water was studied in Al Ain City and environs to have a better understanding of the dispersal of microplastics in a typical hot arid region with an absence of a riverine system connecting to the sea. The sludge of a wastewater plant in the Abu Dhabi Emirate was analyzed for microplastic to have a better knowledge of the pathways the microplastic takes in artificial distribution and collection systems. Lastly, the transfer of artificial plastic microbeads from a lower trophic level towards a higher trophic level was investigated by feeding Moina ( Moina parapura ) to red tilapia ( Oreochromis aureus x Oreochromis mossambicus ).
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