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Sediment Microplastic Research at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Citation:
Ho, K., T. Langknecht, S. Robinson, J. Gundersen, AND R. Burgess. Sediment Microplastic Research at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Association of Caribbean States, NA, TRINIDAD, October 31 - November 04, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation will be given at a virtual meeting hosted by The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) : Cartagena Convention Secretariat, Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean (BCRC- Caribbean). This presentation will inform our southern neighbors of the research and developments that the USEPA has performed over the last three years. It will give us a chance to make connections in this global regions and allow dissemination of information and feedback on our research in microplastics.
Description:
Microplastic (MP) particles (5mm-1 nm) are ubiquitous and exponentially increasing in our environment. In aquatic systems, the majority of these particles are deposited in sediments through processes of aggregation, biofouling and settling. Once entrained in sediments, MP have been demonstrated to cause ecological damage. In addition, sediments may serve as MP sources during resuspension events. Despite demonstrated effects and known persistence, methods to extract and identify MP in sediments are still not mature. This presentation covers research performed under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s MP program with a focus on sediment research performed at the Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division in Narragansett, RI. Our program has focused on development of methods for extraction and identification of MP from sediments, citizen scientist procedures, and effects research for small MP and nanoplastics.
