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Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish and the water from an urban prairie creek
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Microplastics were detected in the water and in five species of fish from a prairie creek downstream of a Canadian city, with contamination levels reflecting proximity to the city's wastewater discharge. The study demonstrates that urban freshwater systems are significantly contaminated with microplastics that enter the food web of local fish.
Microplastics are defined as any plastic with a diameter ≤5 mm. Problems associated with these plastics such as contamination of both marine and freshwater environments and ingestion by aquatic organisms are of increasing concern. Our study quantifies the number of microplastics in a prairie creek immediately downstream of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Water samples and five species of fish were collected from sample sites upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the summers of 2015 and 2016. Samples were digested in either a Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 or NaClO solution and observed under a microscope where plastics present were enumerated by colour and type. At least one microplastic was detected in 73.5% of fish and 95.6% of water samples, showing that the creek does, in fact, contain microplastics. Concentrations were higher in water from upstream sites, likely due to dilution of creek water by the release of treated effluent. The results of this study provide baseline conditions for the presence of plastics in the creek prior to a major upgrade of the WWTP scheduled for completion in 2016.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.