The largest estuary on the planet is not spared from plastic pollution: Case of the St. Lawrence River Estuary.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 206: 116780, 2024 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39083914
ABSTRACT
The St. Lawrence River, one of the world's largest estuaries, drains >25 % of the world's freshwater reserves and is affected by various anthropogenic effluents. Although previous studies reported micro- and nanoplastics contamination in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL), this study provides a first evaluation of macroplastic pollution along the north and south shores of the EGSL. Plastic debris categorization was performed according to the OSPAR protocol completed by polymer identification using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The EGSL appeared ubiquitously contaminated by plastic debris, dominated by single-use plastics primarily made of polypropylene (28 %), polyethylene (25 %) and polystyrene (17 %). The EGSL shores exhibited a mean contamination level of 0.17 ± 0.11 items/m2 and distance to Montreal significantly influenced the distribution of plastic debris. This study provides an essential baseline for implementing local waste reduction and management actions in the St. Lawrence watershed to reduce plastic pollution.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Plásticos
/
Monitoreo del Ambiente
/
Estuarios
/
Ríos
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mar Pollut Bull
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido