| Abstract |
Marine litter comprises a wide range of materials such as glass,
metal, wood, rubber and plastics. Plastic waste was already identified
as special problem, because it persists in the environment. In European
regions about 70-80% of marine litter is plastic. It was estimated that
about 4.8 million tons plastic litter enters the oceans each year and
accumulates due to low degradation rates.
Studies on marine litter are often based on an international agreed
protocol ( e.g. ICES International Bottom Trawl Survey IBTS), for
standardized recording of marine macro litter (> 2.5cm). Besides
macro litter the small plastic particles - microplastic (< 5mm) - are
of special interest. Microplastic is regarded as alarming from an
ecologically point of view because it can be be taken up by marine
organisms, might bioaccumulate in the food chain, or may cause harm to
the animal or enhanced its contamination level.
The aim of PlasM is an improved risc assessment of plastic in the marine environment - especially for fish and the consumer.
Approach
- Sampling of marine fish
- Sampling of marine litter
- Extraction of micro plastic from fish
- Determination of Polymers using FTIR
- Determination of fish health status
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