Microplastics in stormwater runoff in a semiarid region, Tijuana, Mexico.

Land-based sources are considered the most important source of microplastic pollution to marine environment. Stormwater runoff has been identified as one of the main pollutant contributors to water bodies. Seven sites were sampled to identify and quantify microplastics in stormwater runoff in Tijuana, Mexico. The median microplastic abundance found in the samples was between 66 and 191 particles L-1, the highest abundance being recorded in an industrial land use site. The estimated annual total microplastic loads were between 8 × 105 and 3 × 106 particles ha-1. The most abundant microplastic shape and identified polymer type were fibers and polyethylene, respectively. The highest microplastic abundances were observed in events with higher rainfall. The results have shown that stormwater runoff is an important source of microplastic to water bodies.

Microplastics on sandy beaches of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.

Microplastics have become a concern in recent years because of their negative impact on marine and freshwater environments. Twenty-one sandy beach sites were sampled to investigate the occurrence and distribution of microplastics on the sandy beaches of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, as well as their spectroscopic characterization and morphology. Microplastics were separated using the density method and identified using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The mean abundance of microplastics in the samples was 135 ±â€¯92 particles kg−1, and fiber was the most abundant microplastic found in the samples, comprising 91% of the total microplastics identified. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis of the microplastics showed that the main polymers found in microplastics were polyacrylic, polyacrylamide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyesters, and nylon.