A unique cross-border research programme has been launched in cooperation between the Faculty of Water Sciences of the Ludovika University of Public Service (NUPS) and the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina and Zomor, to map the micro-pollution of the southern Danube and surface waters of Bačka. The MInimizing CROssborder water contamination of microPLASTICS – MICROPLASTICS project, HUSRB/23R/12/089, aims to work together to reduce the amount of microplastics entering the environment and to develop more effective solutions to the problem.
Plastics in our daily lives: a blessing or a curse at the border?
In the last decades, the rise of plastics has almost completely permeated our lives. They are present in packaging materials, in construction, in our clothes, in floor and wall coverings, in car upholstery and even in the casing of our electronic devices. We wrap our food and drink in plastic, we wrap our children in plastic nappies, and microscopic plastic particles are found in many cosmetics and even toothpaste. We can’t ignore the question: is this all-encompassing proximity harmless, or is it affecting our health in some way? Unfortunately, the answer is not reassuring. For a quarter of a century we have known that many plastics have serious negative effects on human and animal health, and in recent decades more and more of these details have come to light. Unfortunately, however, we continue to pollute our environment with plastics and ignorance about the seriousness of the problem is almost universal. It is therefore worth looking at the consequences of plastic pollution.
The risks of microplastics to the environment, wildlife and human health
The amount of plastics produced by mankind has grown rapidly in recent decades, now exceeding 400 million tonnes per year, of which around 40 percent is packaging. Around 280-300 million tonnes of plastic are thrown away every year. In many countries, waste management is inadequate, with an estimated 31 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment every year. Some of this is so-called primary microplastics (manufactured from the outset to small sizes, such as the plastic particles in cosmetics), while others become “microplastics” through mechanical degradation, for example by wave action on the surface of water, or photodegradation, the “ageing” effect of sunlight. The latter are particles smaller than 5 millimetres and larger than 1 micrometre, which pose a significant threat to the environment, wildlife and human health. Plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometre are nanomaterials, whose presence in the environment is difficult to detect, but research over the last two years has shown that they can penetrate our internal organs and even our cells!
Impacts on the environment
Microplastics accumulate in ecosystems in farmland, oceans, rivers and lakes, where they are transported by several pathways: run-off or wind. By their physical presence, plastic particles alter the normal structure of sediments and soils, affecting soil dynamics and air and water diffusion. Plastics can also contain a number of hazardous chemicals, including additives with interesting properties that can leach into the environment. Examples of such compounds are phthalates, bisphenols (e.g. BPA, BPS) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), all of which are potentially harmful to wildlife because they may have endocrine or immune disrupting effects, or mutagenic or carcinogenic properties.
Effects on wildlife
Microplastics enter the food chain when they are consumed by animals. Aquatic organisms: plankton, shellfish, fish and birds often ingest plastics, mistaking them for food. Trapped in their digestive tracts, microplastics can interfere with nutrient uptake, cause inflammation, endocrine disruption and even death. These particles can also bioaccumulate, i.e. accumulate in animal tissues, especially in larger predators. This process amplifies the toxic effects of plastics and can cause long-term damage to biodiversity.
Effects on human health
Microplastics and plastic additives can enter the human body in different ways: they can be ingested (through drinking water, food), inhaled (through airborne particles) and in some cases even through our skin. A growing body of research shows that nanomaterials can enter our cells, where they can increase oxidative stress, trigger inflammation and inhibit many enzymatic processes, among many other as yet unsuspected adverse effects. Numerous studies have shown that plastic particles can enter the brain, liver, kidneys, genitals and even arterial plaques from patients who have died from heart attacks.
Solution options
One of the most effective ways to reduce microplastic pollution is to reduce the use of plastics, especially in clothing, food contact and upholstery products. In addition, it is essential to develop environmentally friendly alternatives, e.g. for packaging (including recycling) and to improve wastewater treatment technologies to remove micro-particles efficiently. Conscious consumption, proper waste management, environmental education and effective legislation can also make a major contribution to solving the problem. Further research is also needed to better understand the long-term effects of microplastics.
Serbian-Hungarian transborder cooperation
So far, only a few surveys on plastic contamination of surface waters in Hungary have been carried out, therefore the LUPS Faculty of Water Sciences, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina and Zombor, has launched a programme for the southern section of the Danube and the surface waters of Bačka. The two-year research programme is supported by the project MInimizing CROssborder water contamination of microPLASTICS – MICROPLASTICS, project number HUSRB/23R/12/089.
VTK plays a key role in the project, as they are responsible for the technical implementation. Thanks to the research, the faculty has also acquired a unique, state-of-the-art instrument, an FFT-Infrared spectroscope, which is the most modern in Hungary to our knowledge. This equipment will not only be used to analyse the composition of the micro-plastic particles collected in the monitoring project, but will also be able to determine their origin using the huge libraries in the software. FFT-IR is an analytical method with a wide range of applications and is used to analyse a wide range of materials, such as organic and inorganic compounds, biomolecules, environmental samples, food, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants. FT-Infrared spectroscopy is able to measure the absorption of infrared light, which is related to the vibrational modes of molecules and provides information on the chemical structure of substances, making it particularly useful for the identification of functional groups of molecules and for the detailed study of chemical bonds and structures, allowing the rapid and accurate analysis of complex compounds and substances. The instrument will also be capable of automatically analysing large numbers of organic samples with unparalleled spatial and spectral resolution. In addition, the instrument can be trained to identify new substances using special software, making research even more efficient.
In the MICROPLASTICS project, our researchers will attempt to identify the largest sources of plastic pollution and then set up a regional microplastic pollution monitoring system. They will also make recommendations for nature conservation, environmental protection and waste management after monitoring surface water in the region. The programme will include training for environmental, water and health professionals, awareness-raising for schoolchildren and the general public, and the installation of filtration equipment. The aim is to reduce the amount of microplastics in the environment in the long term and to prepare the authorities and society to deal with the problem more effectively.
The text is based on the research of Dr. Zsolt Németh, Associate Professor at the Department of Water and Environmental Security of the Faculty of Water Sciences at LUPS.
