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Tracing history of pollution by pre-production plastic pellets and changes in environmental regulations by using coastal sediment archives
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Researchers used radiometric dating of coastal sediment cores combined with microplastic extraction from successive core intervals to reconstruct a historical record of pre-production plastic pellet pollution and assess how changes in environmental regulations have influenced accumulation rates over time. The study linked temporal patterns in pellet deposition to specific regulatory milestones, demonstrating that marine sediment archives preserve a datable record of industrial plastic pollution history.
Plastic particles pose a significant threat to the marine environment. All plastics will eventually degrade, breaking down and creating smaller sized particles, so-called microplastics. In the ocean, sooner or later microplastics will sink and end up on the sea floor. Therefore marine sediments are an important reservoir for microplastic accumulation. By combining radiometric dating of sediment cores with the extraction of microplastics from different core intervals representing different time periods, the rate of plastic accumulation over time can be determined. In this study, we collected sediment cores in the Hakefjord, in proximity to Stenungsund, a small town on the Swedish west coast and home to Sweden's largest producer of plastic pellets. There are two manufactures: one is producing polyethylene (PE) and the other one is producing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pellets. The production of PE started in 1963 and had a constant production increase since then. Today approximately 0.75 million tonnes of PE pellets are produced yearly, which corresponds to 5 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559331/document
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Tracing history of pollution by pre-production plastic pellets and changes in environmental regulations by using coastal sediment archives
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Researchers collected dated sediment cores from the Hakefjord near Stenungsund on the Swedish west coast, a location adjacent to Sweden's largest polyethylene and PVC pellet production facilities, to reconstruct the historical accumulation of pre-production plastic pellets using radiometric dating. They found that pellet accumulation in sediments has tracked production increases since 1963, with approximately 0.75 million tonnes of polyethylene pellets now produced yearly at the site, and used sediment archives to trace the influence of changing environmental regulations.
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By extracting microplastics from dated sediment cores in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa, researchers reconstructed the historical increase in plastic pollution over decades. The study shows that microplastic accumulation in sediments tracks the global rise in plastic production, making sediment cores a useful record of pollution history.
Tracking the microplastic accumulation from past to present in the freshwater ecosystems: A case study in Susurluk Basin, Turkey
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Researchers tracked the historical accumulation of microplastics in freshwater lake sediment cores, finding a steady increase in particle deposition corresponding to rising plastic production since the mid-20th century and demonstrating that sediment archives can reconstruct the timeline of freshwater microplastic pollution.
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Analysis of dated sediment cores from the Santa Barbara Basin, California, showed a multi-decade increase in microplastic particle concentrations beginning around 1945 and accelerating in recent decades, mirroring the historical growth of plastic production. This sediment archive provides a clear record of how plastic pollution has progressively contaminated even relatively protected coastal marine environments.
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