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What the presence of regulated chemical elements in beached lacustrine plastics can tell us: the case of Swiss lakes
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Researchers analyzed 3,880 beached plastic items from 39 Swiss lake beaches for hazardous chemical elements including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury using X-ray fluorescence. Many plastics contained regulated levels of toxic elements, showing that beached plastics are not only a physical pollution problem but also a chemical contamination hazard.
Plastics (n = 3880) have been sampled from 39 beaches of ten Swiss lakes of varying sizes, hydrodynamics, and catchments, with a selection (n = 598) analysed for potentially hazardous (and regulated) chemical elements (As, Ba, Br, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se) by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Plastic objects and fragments with identifiable or unidentifiable origins were present on all beaches surveyed, and were often most abundant in proximity to major riverine inputs. Chemical elements were detected in between two (Hg) and 340 (Ba) samples with maximum concentrations exceeding 2% by weight for Ba, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Sb. Inter-element relationships and characteristics of the samples suggest that elements are largely present as various additives, including pigments (e.g., Cd2SSe, PbCrO4), stabilizers (in polyvinyl chloride), and flame retardants (Br). Observations are similar to, and complement, those previously reported in Switzerland's largest lake (Lake Geneva). Comparison of concentrations of targeted chemical elements in beached plastic with currently used plastics illustrate the interest of these types of measurements in providing an insight into the persistence of plastics in standing stocks and in lakes. This information could help to introduce management schemes that consider whether plastic pollution is new or old and act accordingly.
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