Microplastics contamination in tidelands of the Osaka Bay area in western Japan. (24th November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nakao, Satoshi; Ozaki, Asako; Yamazaki, Kazuo; Masumoto, Keiko; Nakatani, Tadashi; Sakiyama, Takanori
• Is Part Of: Water and environment journal. Volume 34:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 474
• Page End: 488
• Publication Date: 2019-11-24
• Subjects: bivalve -- crab -- plastic debris -- pollution -- tufted duck; Sewage -- Periodicals; Water-supply -- Periodicals; Environmental management -- Periodicals; Water-supply engineering -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Periodicals; 628.1
• DOI: 10.1111/wej.12541
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1747-6585

Abstract

Abstract: Recently, researchers have been examining the actual state of microplastics contamination in the environment. However, pollution in high biodiversity environments such as tidelands has not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, to assess the actual level of microplastics pollution therein, we conducted a survey of the tidelands of Osaka Bay in Japan to develop a model that included basins in urban and suburban areas. We quantified the levels of microplastics in the mud from four of Osaka Bay's tidelands and detected them based on three inhabitants of the main river estuary tideland, namely, bivalves ( Corbicula japonica ), crabs ( Chiromantes dehaani ) and a tufted duck ( Aythya fuligula ). Microplastics ranging in size from 300 μm to 5 mm were targeted, and the results indicated that the concentration of microplastics in the mud tended to increase with tideland proximity to an urban area where the density of the human population was the highest. Microplastics were detected in 10% of the bivalves and 6.7% of the crabs ( n = 30 in both cases), and eight pieces of microplastics were detected in the stomach of one tufted duck. These results indicate that the mud in tidelands near urban areas had more microplastics. In addition, the results suggest that microplastics contamination levels may be higher in higher order predators in the food web.