Characteristics of expanded polystyrene microplastics on island beaches in the Pearl River Estuary: abundance, size, surface texture and their metals-carrying capacity

While expanded polystyrene (EPS) microplastics have been widely recognized as one of the most important components of plastic litter in the intertidal zones of the global ocean, our understanding of their environmental fate on island beaches is insufficient. In this study, we intended to reveal that the latest EPS microplastic pollution status on 5 island beaches in the Pearl River Estuary, China, by comprehensively assessing the abundance, distribution, size, surface texture and carrying capacity of heavy metals (Cd, As, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Mn, Fe, Al). High level of EPS microplastic abundance ranged from 328 to 82,276 particles m −2 was found, with the highest abundance at Guishan Island and the lowest at Dong’ao Island. Spatial distribution of EPS microplastic abundance was significantly different among different islands. EPS microplastics in the size range of 1–2 mm were the most abundant. The content of heavy metals in EPS microplastics collected on the beaches was greater than that in the new EPS products. The average concentrations of heavy metals in EPS microplastics from 5 islands are Cd (0.27 ± 0.19 μg g −1 ), As (5.50 ± 3.84 μg g −1 ), Cr (14.9 ± 8.25 μg g −1 ), Cu (15.0 ± 7.66 μg g −1 ), Ni (17.2 ± 17.6 μg g −1 ), Pb (24.8 ± 7.39 μg g −1 ), Mn (730 ± 797 μg g −1 ), Fe (8340 ± 4760 μg g −1 ), and Al (9624 ± 6187 μg g −1 ), respectively. The correlation between heavy metals in EPS microplastics and sediments was better than that between heavy metals in EPS microplastics and seawater. The study results indicated that EPS microplastics could act as a carrier for the transport of heavy metals, which might pose a threat to biological and human health.