Microplastic pollution in Yellow River, China: Current status and research progress of biotoxicological effects

Abstract

This study aims to comprehensively assess the environmental risks of microplastics in the Yellow River, achieving the following results through comprehensive research. The average microplastic abundances in the river waters and sediments are 5358–654000 n/m3 and 43.57–615 items/kg, respectively, and there are fewer microplastics in water samples than in sediments. Microplastics in the study area can be divided into five types according to their occurrence morphologies, namely fragments, foams, films, fibers, and particles. The most widely distributed pollution types in sediments include debris, fibers, and particles. In contrast, fibers are the dominant type in water samples, accounting for 68.18% –98.93%. The chemical components of the microplastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride. The microplastics are in four colors, with white accounting for a higher proportion. The grain size of the microplastics in tributaries or lakes of the Yellow River is less than 2 mm, which makes them liable to enter organisms for enrichment. Furthermore, the sources of the microplastics are closely related to agricultural and industrial production and biological activities in habitats and exhibit seasonal and hydrological characteristics. The microplastics in the study area show the adsorption of metals and nonmetals to different degrees, which increases the pollution risks of heavy metals combined with microplastics. In addition, microplastics can accumulate in organisms in the Yellow River and cause physical, biochemical, and other damage to aquatic organisms, thus further posing carcinogenic risks to human beings. Therefore, it is necessary to study, monitor, and control the pollution and effects of microplastics in the Yellow River, in order to provide theoretical references for the control of pollution and ecological risk of microplastics in the river.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office.