Microplastics and plastic additives in the St. Lawrence River and Estuary: occurrence, fate and impacts

圣劳伦斯河和河口的微塑料和塑料添加剂：发生、归宿和影响

• 批准号: 558410-2020
• 负责人: Lu, Zhe
• 金额: $ 10.04万
• 依托单位: Université du Québec à Rimouski
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=721716
• 关键词: Microplastics; plastic; additives; St.; Lawrence

Microplastics (MPs) are defined as plastic fragments with a diameter less than 5 mm, which are known to be ingested by wildlife and humans. Ingestion of and exposure to microplastics may lead to adverse effects, including physical damage and toxicity related to plastics-associated chemicals (e.g., plastic additives). However, our knowledge about how MPs and plastic additives distribute, move, react and behave in the environment is very limited. Therefore, MPs pollution has been identified as a research priority by the Canadian government's Draft Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution. In Canada, the existing monitoring activities for MPs and plastic additives have centred on the Laurentian Great Lakes and the Arctic, and the status of these contaminants in other ecosystems remains largely unknown. The St. Lawrence River and Estuary (SLRE) host a suite of unique ecosystems but also constitute a vector of contaminants to the Atlantic Ocean. Given that the SLRE is one of Canada's priority ecosystems, is downstream from the Laurentian Great Lakes, and is home to more than 5 million Canadians, the lack of data on plastic pollution in the region impedes understanding effects on this important system and prioritization of management strategies. To address these knowledge gaps, this project will investigate (1) the occurrence and characteristics of MPs and plastic additives in atmospheric depositions, air particles, surface water, and biota (fish and bird) from the SLRE; (2) emissions of greenhouse gases and leaching of plastic additives during the photodegradation of MPs in water; (3) the inherent optical properties of MPs and their remote sensing applications; and (4) wildlife ecotoxicology of chemicals associated with MPs. Since the various plastics have different applications in industrial and commercial products, understanding the composition of MPs could help identify major sources and develop rational approaches for their management. Thus, the results obtained in this research will be highly valuable for the Canada-wide strategy on zero plastic waste to identify risks and provide effective countermeasures.

微塑料（MP）定义为直径小于5 mm的塑料碎片，已知野生动植物和人类摄入。摄入和暴露于微塑料可能会导致不良反应，包括与塑料相关化学物质（例如塑料添加剂）有关的物理损害和毒性。但是，我们对国会议员和塑料添加剂如何在环境中分发，移动，反应和行为的了解非常有限。因此，由加拿大政府对塑料污染的科学评估草案将MPS污染视为研究的优先事项。在加拿大，现有的国会议员和塑料添加剂的监测活动集中在劳伦（Laurentian）的大湖和北极，而这些污染物在其他生态系统中的状态仍然很少。圣劳伦斯河和河口（SLRE）拥有一套独特的生态系统，但也构成了大西洋污染物的矢量。鉴于SLRE是加拿大的优先生态系统之一，是劳伦斯大湖的下游，并且是500万加拿大人的所在地，因此该地区塑料污染缺乏数据阻碍了对这一重要系统和管理策略的优先考虑的理解影响。为了解决这些知识差距，该项目将研究（1）SLRE中大气沉积，空气颗粒，地表水和生物群（鱼和鸟）中MPS和塑料添加剂的出现和特征； （2）在水中MPS降解期间，温室气体的排放和塑料添加剂的浸出； （3）MPS及其遥感应用的固有光学特性； （4）与MPS相关的化学物质的野生动植物生态毒性。由于各种塑料在工业和商业产品中都有不同的应用，因此了解国会议员的组成可以帮助识别主要来源并为其管理开发理性方法。因此，这项研究中获得的结果对于零塑料废物的加拿大范围策略非常有价值，以识别风险并提供有效的对策。