Fate of Microplastics Through North America WRRFs: An Initial Survey

摘要

Microplastics (<5 mm) have become a major and growing global pollution problem. Microplastics can be readily ingested by marine organisms, which eventually accumulate into higher trophic levels (McCormick et al. 2014, Eriksen et al. 2013). In addition, the hydrophobic surface of microplastics readily absorbs persistent organic pollutants (POPs) at a level 1 million times higher than ambient concentrations (McCormick et al. 2014, Mato et al. 2001, Teuten et al. 2009). The hydrophobic surface also stimulates rapid biofilm formation where the microbial communities differ from the natural environment (McCormick et al. 2014, Wagner et al. 2014). As society aims to mitigate the environmental impact of microplastics, legislation has been proposed to ban microplastics in personal care products. However, until a total ban and source elimination is achieved, we must understand the fate of microplastics from residential use in order to mitigate the impacts. WRRFs have been described as a point of source for microplastics in the environment, but very little attention has been given about the fate of microplastic inside WRRFs.