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Impact of land use and other parameters on the presence of microplastics in soil and ground water
Summary
A Spanish-language review synthesized findings from 41 studies on microplastic contamination in soil and groundwater, identifying a clear link between land use type and microplastic presence while highlighting the near-total absence of standardized sampling and analytical methods across studies. Groundwater microplastic research remains especially sparse despite the direct drinking-water implications. The authors call for regulatory threshold limits for microplastics in soil and groundwater to enable risk-based management of contaminated sites.
Los microplásticos (MP) constituyen una de las formas de contaminación más omnipresentes en nuestro planeta. Pese a ello, en comparación con los ecosistemas marinos, lagos o ríos, destaca la escasez de estudios que han tratado sobre su presencia en el suelo y en las aguas subterráneas. Con el objetivo de evaluar el impacto de los usos del suelo sobre la presencia de MP en ambos medios, se han extraído, de la revisión de 41 publicaciones, 56 casos asociados a suelos y 7 casos a aguas subterráneas. En conjunto, se pone de manifiesto la necesidad de establecer una metodología estandarizada, tanto analítica como de muestreo, con el fin de poder realizar comparaciones rigurosas. Por otra parte, queda patente en la mayor parte de las publicaciones revisadas una relación entre la presencia de MP y las fuentes de contaminación (puntuales y/o difusas) asociadas a los usos del suelo. Por ello, es fundamental seguir investigando sobre la presencia de MP en suelos asociados a la totalidad de usos —dado que hasta ahora se ha observado un predominio claro de estudio hacia los de uso agrícola—, considerar ciertos parámetros fundamentales y enfatizar la investigación sobre la presencia de MP en las aguas subterráneas. Además, se antoja fundamental fijar cuanto antes unos umbrales, e incorporarlos a la legislación, a partir de los cuales ponderar si la presencia de MP en los suelos o las aguas subterráneas asociadas a un emplazamiento pueden suponer un riesgo para la salud humana o la protección de los ecosistemas.
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