Interferência Dos Micro Resíduos De Plástico (microplásticos) No Ecossistema Marinho Do Rio Grande Do Sul - Brasil

The solid debris that reaches the sea is called Marine Litter and these produce negative consequences in the ecosystem that it is infused. The origin of this “waste” is approximately 80% by land and 20% by sea. Plastics are high absorbers of persistent toxic compounds present in water molecules. When plastic begins its process of fragmentation into smaller particles, these are called microplastics and end up becoming way more harmful to the environment than plastic in its original size. Therefore, if these particles are ingested by fish they are automatically contaminated by the same pollutant, and some types of contaminants the fish cannot degrade and eliminate, remaining concentrated and bioaccumulating in the fish and being transferred through its food chain. In the last decades, the increased use and consequently the production of plastic has grown considerably. Plastic became part of the life of all human beings worldwide, as it came with a notion of practicality that gained more and more space in the market, but humans did not foresee the huge impact that this material could cause in the environment due to its irregular disposal. In 2018, 6.2 million tons of plastic were produced in Brazil and 355.1 million tons worldwide. It was possible to verify that there is a need for greater scientific production on the subject in the Rio Grande do Sul and in Brazil since the local ecosystems are already negatively impacted.