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Influencing factors of microplastic generation and microplastic contamination in urban freshwater
Summary
This study analyzed microplastic contamination in urban freshwater across cities worldwide and identified mismanaged plastic waste and untreated wastewater as the strongest predictors of contamination levels. Smaller microplastic fragments were most closely linked to improper waste disposal, while larger fragments correlated with untreated wastewater discharge. The findings suggest that improving waste management and wastewater treatment in cities could significantly reduce the microplastics entering drinking water sources.
This research analyzes data on the microplastic (MP) contamination in the environmental systems (atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere) and the levels of MPs in freshwater of cities with different levels of national income. This study investigates the influencing factors of MP generation, i.e., mismanaged plastic waste, untreated wastewater, number of registered motor vehicles, and stormwater runoff. The statistical correlations between the MP contamination in urban freshwater and the four influencing factors of MP generation are determined by linear regression. The results indicate that MPs are most abundant in aquatic systems (i.e., hydrosphere) and pose a serious threat to the human food chain. The regression analysis shows a strong correlation between mismanaged plastic waste and microfragment smaller than 300 μm in particle size in urban freshwater with high goodness-of-fit (R2 = 0.8091). A strong relationship with high goodness-of-fit also exists between untreated wastewater and microfragment of 1000-5000 μm in particle size (R2 = 0.9522). The key to mitigate the MP contamination in urban freshwater is to replace improper plastic waste management and wastewater treatment with proper management practices.