TY - JOUR
T1 - How well-protected are protected areas from anthropogenic microplastic contamination? Review of analytical methods, current trends, and prospects
AU - Kutralam-Muniasamy, Gurusamy
AU - Pérez-Guevara, Fermín
AU - Elizalde-Martínez, I.
AU - Shruti, V. C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Microplastics have sparked global concern due to their negative effects on organisms' health and the environment. Microplastics research in protected areas (marine and freshwater) has recently gained prominence and is expected to grow in the coming years. This review of 36 published studies examines current progress and identifies future research challenges. It begins with an overview of microplastic evaluation methodologies, followed by a discussion of recent advances in the abundance of microplastics in water, sediment, biota, wet and dry deposition, and particulate matter. Current quality assurance and control measures are also summarized. The majority of studies (44 %) examined sediment samples. In biota, the gastrointestinal system was the most evaluated for microplastics. Digestion (using H2O2 and KOH) and density separation (using NaCl) are the most common microplastic extraction methods. We found that microplastic contamination is pervasive in all the surveyed protected areas, with varying levels of abundance geographically, and over 50 % of the biota ingest microplastics. The methodological discrepancies amongst the investigations, from sampling to microplastics characterization, make it difficult to compare the results and generate baseline data on microplastic contamination levels. Close monitoring and a standardized approach are thus required to determine the extent to which microplastics might enter and persist in protected area environments, as well as to devise effective mitigating strategies.
AB - Microplastics have sparked global concern due to their negative effects on organisms' health and the environment. Microplastics research in protected areas (marine and freshwater) has recently gained prominence and is expected to grow in the coming years. This review of 36 published studies examines current progress and identifies future research challenges. It begins with an overview of microplastic evaluation methodologies, followed by a discussion of recent advances in the abundance of microplastics in water, sediment, biota, wet and dry deposition, and particulate matter. Current quality assurance and control measures are also summarized. The majority of studies (44 %) examined sediment samples. In biota, the gastrointestinal system was the most evaluated for microplastics. Digestion (using H2O2 and KOH) and density separation (using NaCl) are the most common microplastic extraction methods. We found that microplastic contamination is pervasive in all the surveyed protected areas, with varying levels of abundance geographically, and over 50 % of the biota ingest microplastics. The methodological discrepancies amongst the investigations, from sampling to microplastics characterization, make it difficult to compare the results and generate baseline data on microplastic contamination levels. Close monitoring and a standardized approach are thus required to determine the extent to which microplastics might enter and persist in protected area environments, as well as to devise effective mitigating strategies.
KW - Biosphere reserve
KW - Marine
KW - Plastic survey
KW - RAMSAR
KW - Standardization
KW - UNESCO
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85116878799&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.teac.2021.e00147
DO - 10.1016/j.teac.2021.e00147
M3 - Artículo de revisión
AN - SCOPUS:85116878799
SN - 2214-1588
VL - 32
JO - Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry
JF - Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry
M1 - e00147
ER -