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Plastic Pollution
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Plastic Pollution

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2019) | Viewed by 74928

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Teresa A. P. Rocha-Santos

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: development of analytical methodologies fit for purpose; (bio)sensors; plastics; microplastics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastic is widely used, with an annual production of more than 322 million tons. Plastics debris comes from both land-based and marine-based activities. Plastic pollution has become a serious threat to environment and ecosystems health (damage to habitat, ingestion of both plastics and microplastics, vector of chemical compounds and microorganisms, release of additives), and sea-related socio-economic activities (tourism, fisheries). In order to understand plastic fate and behavior in the environment, more research is need. Manuscripts on all aspects related to plastic pollution, including analytical methodologies for sampling, characterization and analysis of plastics (macro-, micro- and nano-), revealing the toxicological mechanisms of plastics and possible environmental and health effects, ecotoxicological evaluation of plastic impacts, plastics as vectors of environmental contaminants and microorganisms, mitigation strategies, legislation, and the socio-ecological and socio-economic aspects of plastic pollution, are sought. Both research and review papers are welcome.

Dr. Teresa Rocha-Santos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Plastic
  • Microplastic
  • Nanoplastic
  • Vectors of chemical compounds
  • Mitigation strategies
  • Ecotoxicological effects
  • Human health effects of plastics

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 824 KiB  
Article
Shaping EU Plastic Policies: The Role of Public Health vs. Environmental Arguments
by Linda Mederake and Doris Knoblauch
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(20), 3928; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203928 - 16 Oct 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6085
Abstract
Few other environmental problems have received as much public attention and criticism in recent years as plastic pollution. Accordingly, in recent years, a number of plastic policies have been adopted at the national and supranational level in the EU and worldwide. In the [...] Read more.
Few other environmental problems have received as much public attention and criticism in recent years as plastic pollution. Accordingly, in recent years, a number of plastic policies have been adopted at the national and supranational level in the EU and worldwide. In the U.S., health risks were repeatedly raised in the decision-making process of these policies and scholars have pointed out the crucial role of these arguments for the adoption of plastic policies. Hence, this article uses a structuring qualitative content analysis to investigate the parliamentary debates of two recently adopted plastic policies in the EU—namely the EU Plastics Strategy and the Single-Use Plastics Directive—and to assess the relevance of public health and environmental arguments for the EU debate. The analysis reveals broad support for plastics regulation among Members of the European Parliament, who most often use environmental arguments to corroborate their support for the policies in question. In contrast, health concerns do not seem to be crucial for the adoption of plastic policies in the EU. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Pollution)
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9 pages, 822 KiB  
Article
From Plant to Waste: The Long and Diverse Impact Chain Caused by Tobacco Smoking
by Maria Christina B. Araújo and Monica F. Costa
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(15), 2690; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16152690 - 28 Jul 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7895
Abstract
Smoking is a social phenomenon of global scope. The impacts start from the cultivation of the plant to the disposal of cigarette butts in the most diverse places. These aspects go beyond economic and public health issues, also affecting natural environments and their [...] Read more.
Smoking is a social phenomenon of global scope. The impacts start from the cultivation of the plant to the disposal of cigarette butts in the most diverse places. These aspects go beyond economic and public health issues, also affecting natural environments and their biota in a serious and indistinct way. Of the six trillion cigarettes consumed globally each year, four and a half trillion are disposed somewhere in the environment. Cigarette butts are predominantly plastic, non-biodegradable waste, prevalent in coastal environments in various parts of the world, and with high potential for generating impacts on a wide range of socioeconomic and environmental aspects. Among the 5000 compounds found in a cigarette, those with higher toxic potential are mainly concentrated in the filter and in tobacco remnants, which are items found in discarded cigarette butts. After surveying published studies on this topic, the present study addressed the interaction between the impacts related to tobacco smoking, highlighting the problem as an important and emerging issue that demands joint efforts, and actions especially focused on the reduction of environmental impacts, an aspect that has not yet been assessed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Pollution)
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10 pages, 4323 KiB  
Article
Microplastic Pollution in Surface Water of Urban Lakes in Changsha, China
by Lingshi Yin, Changbo Jiang, Xiaofeng Wen, Chunyan Du, Wei Zhong, Zhiqiao Feng, Yuannan Long and Yuan Ma
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(9), 1650; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16091650 - 12 May 2019
Cited by 113 | Viewed by 9102
Abstract
As emerging pollutants, microplastics have attracted the attention of scholars from all over the world. However, there is a lack of research on freshwater areas, even in densely populated urban areas. This study investigated eight urban lakes in Changsha, China. It was found [...] Read more.
As emerging pollutants, microplastics have attracted the attention of scholars from all over the world. However, there is a lack of research on freshwater areas, even in densely populated urban areas. This study investigated eight urban lakes in Changsha, China. It was found that microplastic concentrations ranged from 2425 ± 247.5 items/m3 to 7050 ± 1060.66 items/m3 in the surface water of research areas and the maximum concentration was found in Yuejin Lake, a tourist spot in the center of the city. Anthropogenic factors are an important reason for microplastic abundance in urban lakes. The major shape of microplastics was linear and most of the microplastics were transparent. More than 89.5% of the microplastics had a size of less than 2 mm. Polypropylene was the dominant type in the studied waters. This study can provide a valuable reference for a better understanding of microplastic pollution in urban areas of China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Pollution)
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20 pages, 3075 KiB  
Article
On the Kinetics of Degradation Reaction Determined Post Accelerated Weathering of Polyolefin Plastic Waste Blends
by S.M. Al-Salem, M.H. Behbehani, H.J. Karam, S.F. Al-Rowaih and F.M. Asiri
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(3), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030395 - 30 Jan 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3660
Abstract
Polyolefin (PO) polymers constitute the majority of consumer plastic commodities. The reliance on such materials make it near imposable to avoid touching one in any given day. Therefore, the accumulation of plastic solid waste (PSW) in developed and developing societies alike requires immediate [...] Read more.
Polyolefin (PO) polymers constitute the majority of consumer plastic commodities. The reliance on such materials make it near imposable to avoid touching one in any given day. Therefore, the accumulation of plastic solid waste (PSW) in developed and developing societies alike requires immediate attention to manage and valorize this type of waste. In this work, PSW originating from real life sources and virgin linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) films were compounded in a mechanical recycling effort. The recycled blends constituted up to 100% (by weight) of the waste material. Accelerated weathering (aging) was conducted on the blends, reaching threshold limit of exposure to study the major changes occurring on the recycled blends. Thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine their characteristics and applicability for future recycling using thermo-chemical treatment (TCT) methods. Analytical solution methods following the international committee of thermal analysis and calorimetry (ICTAC) were followed in conducting the measurements and kinetic calculations alike. A novel analytical mathematical solution model is also introduced to determine both the pre-exponential factor (Ao) and apparent activation energy (Ea) of the degradation reaction. The model proved to be a more accurate analysis tool, and the work in whole enabled the determination of future plans for using such waste components as a feedstock to thermal units. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Pollution)
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Review

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19 pages, 799 KiB  
Review
Solutions and Integrated Strategies for the Control and Mitigation of Plastic and Microplastic Pollution
by Joana C. Prata, Ana L. Patrício Silva, João P. da Costa, Catherine Mouneyrac, Tony R. Walker, Armando C. Duarte and Teresa Rocha-Santos
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(13), 2411; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132411 - 7 Jul 2019
Cited by 320 | Viewed by 46295
Abstract
Plastic pollution is generated by the unsustainable use and disposal of plastic products in modern society, threatening economies, ecosystems, and human health. Current clean-up strategies have attempted to mitigate the negative effects of plastic pollution but are unable to compete with increasing quantities [...] Read more.
Plastic pollution is generated by the unsustainable use and disposal of plastic products in modern society, threatening economies, ecosystems, and human health. Current clean-up strategies have attempted to mitigate the negative effects of plastic pollution but are unable to compete with increasing quantities of plastic entering the environment. Thus, reducing inputs of plastic to the environment must be prioritized through a global multidisciplinary approach. Mismanaged waste is a major land-based source of plastic pollution that can be reduced through improvements in the life-cycle of plastics, especially in production, consumption, and disposal, through an Integrated Waste Management System. In this review paper, we discuss current practices to improve life cycle and waste management of plastics that can be implemented to reduce health and environmental impacts of plastics and reduce plastics pollution. Ten recommendations for stakeholders to reduce plastic pollution include (1) regulation of production and consumption; (2) eco-design; (3) increasing the demand for recycled plastics; (4) reducing the use of plastics; (5) use of renewable energy for recycling; (6) extended producer responsibility over waste; (7) improvements in waste collection systems; (8) prioritization of recycling; (9) use of bio-based and biodegradable plastics; and (10) improvement in recyclability of e-waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic Pollution)
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