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Probabilistic risk assessment of microplastics on aquatic biota in coastal sediments
Summary
Researchers developed a new method to assess the ecological risk of microplastics in coastal sediments and applied it to Zhelin Bay in China, where they found an average of over 2,000 microplastic particles per kilogram of sediment. The assessment found a low probability (3.4%) of toxic effects on marine life at current levels, though 46 different types of microplastics were identified. This kind of risk framework helps scientists determine at what point microplastic contamination becomes dangerous for ecosystems and the food chains that connect to human diets.
As an emerging form of pollution, microplastic contamination of the coastal ecosystems is one of the world's most pressing environmental concerns. Coastal sediments have been polluted to varying degrees by microplastics, and their ubiquitous presence in sediments poses a threat to marine organisms. However, there is currently no ecological risk assessment of microplastics on aquatic biota in sediments. This study, for the first time, established a new procedure to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic biota in sediments, based on the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) concept. The choice of Zhelin Bay as the case study site was based on its severe pollution status. The average content of microplastics in the sediments of Zhelin Bay was 2054.17 items kg dry weight, and these microplastics consisted of 46 different species. Microplastics in sediments exist in five different forms, with the film form being the main composition, and the majority of microplastics have particle sizes ranging from 100 to 500 μm. Correlation analysis (CA) reveals significant negative correlations between microplastic abundance, and AlO and SiO. The toxicity of microplastics, based on the PRA concept, suggests that Zhelin Bay surface sediments had a low probability (3.43%) of toxic effects on aquatic biota.