Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on microplastic abundance along the River Thames

Ria Devereux; Bamdad Ayati; Elizabeth Kebede Westhead; Ravindra Jayaratne; Darryl Newport

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114763

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on microplastic abundance along the River Thames

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Apr:189:114763. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114763. Epub 2023 Feb 24.

Authors

Ria Devereux¹, Bamdad Ayati², Elizabeth Kebede Westhead³, Ravindra Jayaratne⁴, Darryl Newport⁵

Affiliations

¹ Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), University of East London, Knowledge Dock, Docklands Campus, 4-6 University Way, London E16 2RD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address: deanldrdld@msn.com.
² Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), University of East London, Knowledge Dock, Docklands Campus, 4-6 University Way, London E16 2RD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
³ Department of Bioscience, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
⁴ Department of Engineering & Construction, University of East London, Docklands Campus, 4-6 University Way, London E16 2RD, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
⁵ Suffolk Sustainability Research Institute (SSI), University of Suffolk, Waterfront Building, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1QJ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Abstract

In April 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic changed human behaviour worldwide, creating an increased demand for plastic, especially single-use plastic in the form of personal protective equipment. The pandemic also provided a unique situation for plastic pollution studies, especially microplastic studies. This study looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and three national lockdowns on microplastic abundance at five sites along the river Thames, UK, compared to pre-Covid-19 levels. This study took place from May 2019-May 2021, with 3-L water samples collected monthly from each site starting at Teddington and ending at Southend-on-Sea. A total of 4480 pieces, the majority of fibres (82.1 %), were counted using light microscopy. Lockdown 2 (November 2020) had the highest average microplastic total (27.1 L^-1). A total of 691 pieces were identified via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Polyvinyl chloride (36.19 %) made up the most microplastics identified. This study documents changes in microplastic abundance before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented event, as well as documenting microplastic abundance along the river Thames from 2019 to 2021.

Keywords: Covid-19; Microplastics; River Thames.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Communicable Disease Control
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Microplastics
Pandemics
Plastics
Rivers / chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical