On the importance of size of plastic fragments and pellets on the strandline: a snapshot of a Brazilian beach.
Virgin plastic pellets and plastic fragments are reported as ubiquitous beach contaminants in the peer-reviewed literature. A surface density of 0.3 virgin plastic pellets and plastic fragments per square centimeter of the strandline area was registered on an urban beach of the northeast of Brazil. This beach is presently not affected by petrochemical facilities or pellet processing plants. The main source of fragments (96.7%) was attributed to the breaking down of larger plastic items deposited on the beach. In the case of virgin plastic pellets (3.3%), the main sources were the marine environment and possibly nearby port facilities. This category of plastic pollutant offers particular threats to the marine environment and to beach users.
Costa
Monica F
MF
Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems-LEGECE, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco-UFPE, Av. Arquitetura s/n, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. mfc@ufpe.br
Ivar do Sul
Juliana A
JA
Silva-Cavalcanti
Jacqueline S
JS
Araújo
Maria Christina B
MC
Spengler
Angela
A
Tourinho
Paula S
PS
D001493:Bathing Beaches; D001938:Brazil; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010316:Particle Size; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010969:Plastics
Environ Monit Assess. 2009 Jan;148(1-4):455-62
18256899
Mar Pollut Bull. 2007 Aug;54(8):1087-104
17624374
Science. 2004 May 7;304(5672):838
15131299
Mar Pollut Bull. 2001 Dec;42(12):1297-300
11827116
Environ Sci Technol. 2007 Nov 15;41(22):7759-64
18075085
Mar Pollut Bull. 2004 Apr;48(7-8):790-4
15041436
Environ Sci Technol. 2001 Jan 15;35(2):318-24
11347604
Mar Pollut Bull. 2006 Jul;52(7):761-7
16388828
Environ Res. 2008 Oct;108(2):131-9
18949831
Nature. 2002 Apr 25;416(6883):808-9
11976671
Mar Pollut Bull. 2009 Aug;58(8):1225-1228
19481226
Waste Manag Res. 2009 Feb;27(1):93-7
19220998
Mar Pollut Bull. 2009 Aug;58(8):1236-1238
19486997
Environ Sci Technol. 2008 Jul 1;42(13):5026-31
18678044
Mar Pollut Bull. 2008 Aug;56(8):1501-4
18501383
Ambio. 2003 Sep;32(6):380-4
14627365