Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in surface water at some beaches in Thanh Hoa province, Viet Nam

Abstract

Microplastics present in high density in coastal marine environments have been reported by many published works worldwide. Microplastic presence poses a major threat to all organisms that come into direct contact with them in the aquatic environment because they are non-biodegradable and adsorbable to some toxic substances. Besides, through the food chain, it can affect human health. This study provides data on the density and characteristics of microplastics such as shape, size, and color in the aquatic environment of three beaches (Hai Tien, Sam Son, Hai Hoa) in Thanh Hoa province. Microplastics were detected at all sampling locations at high abundance. The largest microplastic abundance was 44.1 items/m3 at Hai Tien beach, while the smallest was 15.5 items/m3 at Sam Son beach. The results indicated that the most common microplastic shape was fragment shape which accounted for 50.2 to 80.2% of total microplastics. The size was smaller than 500 µm covered from 66.1 to 87.7 % of total microplastics. Among that, white, yellow, and black are the main colors of microplastics in the aquatic environment of this region.