Environmental problem of microplastics in Southern Bessarabia

Abstract

Plastics are widely used due to the variety of their structure and their chemical and physical properties. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, new environmental problems were discovered related to the accumulation of plastics in the environment. During long-term storage, plastics, which are resistant to aggressive environments, undergo degradation and turn into microparticles. These microplastics are found in the air, soil and sediments, fresh water, seas, oceans, plants, animals and even in the human body. The main problem is solid domestic waste disposal in cities and villages of the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta since the waste is not either sorted or processed. It is simply buried at a certain depth instead. This method of disposal of municipal solid waste poses a significant threat to the groundwater since microplastic particles can accumulate in the ground composition. We have studied drinking water that was taken at a depth of 40 m from the surface of the earth. Water samples were taken at the enterprise with coconut and coal filters for additional purification of drinking water on an industrial scale. This water is purified in order to be sold to the population. We have examined the obtained samples under an optical microscope MICRO med XS-XXXX. The samples were examined under the magnifications of 400x and 900x. However, particles smaller than 100 μm were not detected. It can be assumed that there are no particles smaller than 100 μm either. However, this assumption has not been experimentally proven.

It is necessary to study the distribution of plastic microparticles in the Ukrainian Danube Delta, including the groundwater of the region. The researchers should use the developed methods for the detection of microparticles and nanoparticles of plastic.