Microplastics Pollution and Their Potential Impact in Marine Systems: A Case Study in Shandong Peninsula, China

Abstract

Shandong Province is among China’s major marine provinces, and the marine environment in Shandong supports important economic activities, such as fishing, aquaculture, and tourism. The presence of microplastics in the marine environment can impact these activities and the livelihoods of people who depend on them. Therefore, studying microplastics in Shandong Peninsula is crucial for understanding and mitigating these impacts. In this research, the microplastics were detected with abundance ranging from 50.67 to 315.2 particles/kg dry weight, and polyethylene and polypropylene have dominant proportions in beach sand and sediments. Microplastics were also detected in holothurians and oysters with detection rates at 16.7% and 38.9%, respectively. This study highlighted that microplastics pollution in the Shandong Peninsula was closely related to anthropogenic activities. Moreover, microplastics have inhibited superoxide dismutase activity and significantly increased malondialdehyde during zebrafish growth, which provided a potential effect between microplastics and marine organism. Human activities contribute to microplastics pollution in the environment, while at the same time, the presence of microplastics can impact marine organism and human activities. To mitigate the impacts of microplastics on the Shandong Peninsula, it is important to reduce the sources of microplastics and to develop effective management strategies for controlling their spread and impact.