Microplastics in Russian Freshwater Systems: a Review

Abstract

Contamination of environment by plastic debris has already become a worldwide problem due to the global production of polymers and the further accumulation of waste. Microplastic particles (<5 mm) have been found almost everywhere. Despite the significant number of publications devoted to the microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments, in the review articles around the world freshwater systems the Russian territory is a white spot. The article provides the summary of studies investigating microplastics (MP) in Russian lakes and rivers, the determination of concentrations, type and composition of polymer particles and also possible sources of plastic contamination. The map of the MP distribution in Russian freshwater systems is presented. The concentration of microplastics in freshwater system varies greatly, e.g., in lakes from 0,27 items/m3 in Lake Baikal to (4-26)∙103 items/m3 in the Altai lakes of Western Siberia; in large Russian rivers measured polymer content varies by three orders of magnitude, from parts of items/m3 in the Volga River to hundreds of items/m3 in the Upper Ob. Significantly higher concentrations of MP are found in the bottom sediments of rivers and lakes, exceeding polymer concentrations in surface water by several orders of magnitude. Thus, bottom sediments are able to accumulate significant amounts of MP.