Fabiana Corami

Microplastic (MP) and plastic additive (PA) pollution in freshwater systems threatens drinking water safety. This study proposes an integrated multi-analytical approach to characterize small microplastics (SMPs < 100 μm), PAs, and other microlitter components (MLCs) in a canal supplying a drinking water treatment plant. The method combines Micro-FTIR spectroscopy for particulate SMP and MLC identification with HPLC-Orbitrap for Non-Targeted Screening (NTS) and Suspect Screening Analysis (SSA) of dissolved PAs. Results showed the highest SMP abundance in Autumn (10,116 SMPs L⁻¹), with 20 polymer types identified. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was most abundant, followed by high-density polyethylene (HDPE); tire wear particles (TWPs) were also detected. Micro-FTIR identified antistatic agents, fillers, and lubricants as the main particulate PAs. SMPs averaged 57 μm in length and 32 μm in width. HPLC-Orbitrap revealed a predominance of plasticizers and flame retardants, specifically diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phosphate (DBP), tributyl phosphate (TBP), and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). Although EU regulations highlight the need to monitor MPs, specific regulatory limits and standardized treatment removal efficiencies remain undefined. This comprehensive assessment of particulate and dissolved fractions establishes a methodological framework to guide future safety standards and optimize water treatment.

Despite their apparent remoteness from human activities, polar regions and glaciers worldwide are becoming silent witnesses to the dramatic global impact of plastic pollution (Bergmann et al., 2022; De-la-Torre et al., 2024; Jones-Williams et al., 2025; Rosso et al., 2024). As a matter of fact, plastic pollution has no borders and reaches even these most remote places; it is emerging as a major environmental threat with potential consequences for the environment and in particular for fragile ecosystems such as the polar areas. However, several gaps of knowledge about the occurrence, the transport pathways and fate of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in polar areas and on glaciers still need to be filled. MNPs form through the breakdown of larger plastic materials; in relation with their sizes, these particles can be transported over long distances via atmospheric and oceanic pathways (Bucci et al., 2024; Rosso et al., 2024; Yang et al., 2024).Additionally, MNPs can release toxic additives into the environment, being able to cause significant impacts on biota, impacting organisms throughout the food chain (Corami et al., 2022; Da Costa et al., 2023), and endangering the ecosystems . Besides, MNPs can interfere with sea ice formation, contribute to glacier melting and amplify climate change effects such as permafrost thaw. Therefore, understanding the pathways and impacts of MNPs in polar regions is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate their effects and protect these vulnerable ecosystems. From this perspective, identifying bioindicators is crucial for evaluating the ecological and biological impacts of plastic pollution, particularly in fragile polar ecosystems (Iannilli et al., 2019; Lusher et al., 2022). A deeper understanding of this escalating threat is essential to fully assess its global implications and implement effective solutions. The Research Topic “Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Polar Areas: Arctic, Antarctica, and the World’s Glaciers” focuses on the pollution caused by MNPs in these peculiar ecosystems, aiming at a better understanding of the occurrence, distribution and transport pathways, including ocean currents, local rivers, and atmospheric transport, emphasizing the global nature of microplastic pollution, and potential biological implications. The studies focus on MNPs pollution in both Arctic and Antarctic polar regions, increasingly exposed to plastic contamination, albeit in different ways. Marine currents can significantly contribute to the transport of MNPs in the Arctic, as observed in the study on the Barents Sea (Emberson-Marl et al., 2023) and in that on Kara Sea (Berezina et al., 2023). However, Arctic rivers can be a relevant transport pathway for MNPs (Pakhomova et al., 2024) towards the sea, taking into account that glacier melting and atmospheric transport can greatly enrich the plastic load of rivers and, consequently, of the sea. Besides, it should be underlined that multiple factors, including shipping traffic from fishing and the growing tourism ship, can greatly contribute to the transport pathways of MNPs in the Arctic. Multiple transportation processes can deeply affect the plastic load in Antarctica, as well (Cunnigham et al., 2022). In particular, synthetic fibers in the Antartic air and seawater samples were predominant, highlighting that MNPs can originate from diffuse sources. Besides, the atmospheric transport can also play a key role in introducing synthetic fibers and other MNPs to Antarctica, further complicating pollution management.Bioindicators allow in-depth understanding of the changes of organism’s physiological responses and/or population dynamics due to presence of pollutants, e.g., MNPs. Among the various bioindicators are seabirds that primarily feed at sea, which can be employed as bioindicators for MNPs pollution (Taurozzi et al., 2024) in view of the urge to both quantify and monitor MP ingestion by marine wildlife. Due to their role of top predators in the polar food webs, birds can be considered early indicators of plastic pollution. By studying their ingestion of MNPs it is possible to assess the broader ecological impact of plastic pollution in these remote regions. All the studies stress the need a) for systematic monitoring of microplastic pollution to assess its ecological impact, and b) of standardized protocols in order to plan appropriate actions and strategies to mitigate the effects of microplastics on marine and terrestrial organisms in polar regions. Perspectives The studies collected in this research topic reveal that MNPs’ pollution is already endangering these fragile environments, with several concerns about its origins, pathways, fate and ecological impact. This growing research effort emphasizes the need for a monitoring network at a global scale, standardized methods and a stronger focus on the ecological impacts of microplastics using bioindicator species, which can provide useful information on the contamination of the food web and biological effects. In conclusion, although polar regions are often regarded as pristine environments, there is ever increasing evidence of microplastic contamination, highlighting the need for a global approach to address this pollution. Further studies are also needed to gain an in-depth understanding of how plastic pollution can enhance and hasten the processes of ongoing global climate change. Therefore, expanding research, standardizing methods, and integrating local and global knowledge are essential to mitigate the impacts of microplastics, requiring collective action to protect these vulnerable ecosystems for future generations.

Highway stormwater (HSW) runoff is among the environment’s most important sources of microplastics. This study aimed to characterize via vibrational spectroscopy and quantify SMPs (small microplastics < 100 µm) in HSW runoff from a trafficked highway entering a facility equipped with a filtration system and in those flowing out to the receiving water body near agricultural activities. Samples of the inlet runoff (from the highway) and outlet runoff (the discharge into the environment) were collected in different periods to investigate potential seasonal and spatial differences. The sampling, methodology, and analysis were thoroughly carried out to quantify and simultaneously identify SMPs via Micro-FTIR to obtain a specific novel dataset to assess the environmental quality of highway pollution. A significant difference between inlet and outlet samples was reported; the highest abundance in inlet samples was 39813 ± 277 SMPs L^.1 (SW10 IN; average length of 77 µm), while the highest one in outlet samples was 15173 ± 171 SMPs L⁻¹ (SW10 OUT; SMPs’ average length of 63 µm). Polyamide 6 (PA 6) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) were predominant. Our results show that these HSW treatment plants, designed for managing regulated pollutants, can intercept SMPs, improving the quality of HSW runoff discharged into the environment.

The Arctic Ocean is undergoing several transformations because of global climate change. Small microplastics (SMPs) or nanoplastics (NPs) carried by marine aerosols may settle in the land ice and be released to the waters, produced following its melting. As sea ice extent reduces and shipping and fishing activities increase, microplastics (MPs) may enter the region following ocean and maritime transports, with implications on Arctic biota, human health, and socioeconomic issues related to the exploitation of marine resources. First analyses on amphipods collected in Ny-Ålesund confirmed the presence of SMPs. Nevertheless, the threat posed by SMPs/NPs to polar biota and regional human health is not fully understood. This article addresses this issue and the need for organisms as potential bioindicators of plastic pollution, which is currently being carried out in the Svalbard region under the framework of the MICROTRACER project funded by the Italian Arctic Research Program (PRA, Call 2021). The outputs of this research are expected to contribute to deepening the current knowledge of SMPs in Svalbard, providing new insights on their occurrence, distribution, and transfer through the marine trophic web, to realize effective control and regulatory framework measures to implement an integrated multidisciplinary approach for monitoring and to reduce MPs pollution in this fragile polar environment.

Road dust is one of the environment’s most important microplastic and plastic additive sources. Traffic vehicles and the wear of tires can release these emerging contaminants, which can be resuspended in the air and washed off by stormwater runoff. In this study, a concurrent quantification and chemical characterization of additives, plasticizers, natural and non-plastic synthetic fibers (APFs), and small microplastics (SMPs, <100 µm) in samples of highway road dust (HWRD) was performed. The sampling procedure was optimized, as well as pretreatment (extraction, purification, and filtration) and analysis via micro-FTIR. The average length of the SMPs was 88 µm, while the average width was 50 µm. The highest abundance of SMPs was detected in HWRD 7 (802 ± 39 SMPs/g). Among the polymers characterized and quantified, vinyl ester and polytetrafluoroethylene were predominant. APFs’ average particle length was 80 µm and their width was 45 µm, confirming that both of these emerging pollutants are less than 100 µm in size. Their maximum concentration was in RD7, with 1044 ± 45 APFs/g. Lubricants and plasticizers are the two most abundant categories, followed by vulcanizing agents, accelerators, and pre-vulcanizing retarders derived mainly from tires. A potential relationship between APFs and SMPs in the different seasons was observed, as their concentration was lower in summer for both and higher in winter 2022. These results will be significant in investigating the load of these pollutants from highways, which is urgently necessary for more accurate inclusion in emission inventories, receptor modeling, and health protection programs by policymakers, especially in air and water pollution policies, to prevent risks to human health.