Research Progress in Area 2 方向 ( 二 ) 課題進展 139 Abstract Studies have shown that microplastics in the marine environment can enrich OUVFs and enhance their toxicity through surface adsorption for aquatic organisms, which is also a significant risk for the Greater Bay Area. Dr. He’s team proposes to determine the distribution of OUVFs in the coastal region of Greater Bay Area first, then investigate the adsorption of OUVFs by microplastics in marine environment and understand their mechanism of potential combined effects on marine organisms. Based on the above studies, ecological risks of OUVFs will be assessed in the Greater Bay Area. Research Activities and Progress • Water samples (i.e., surface water, bottom water, and sediment) have been collected from the 8 Outflows of the Pearl River Estuary; • Literature review completed for OUVFs and MPs related to the pollutants’ distribution in seawater, sediment and biota worldwide, and the toxicity research on marine organisms; • Literature review completed for degradation mechanisms of OUVFs in aqueous environment focus on natural degradation, facilitated degradation for removal treatment and unintentional chlorination reaction; • Method for separation and detection of seawater samples for OUVFs has been built; • The release amount of microplastics from surgical masks and the its toxicity on aquatic organisms have been analyzed and assessed. Key Findings • Discarded surgical masks in 2020 will release at least 1379 trillion microplastics (with an average daily release of at least 396 billion) (Fig.1); • Marine plankton (copepod) can ingest polypropylene microplastics and affect their growth, development and reproduction (Fig. 2). Research Output Publication 2 Trained personnel 2 Risk Assessment of Ecotoxicity Caused by Microplastics and Organic Ultraviolet Filters (OUVFs) Interactions in the Coastal Region of Greater Bay Area Dr. Henry Yuhe He City University of Hong Kong Fig 1. Microplastics released from surgical masks (a) size distribution and (b) release and accumulation amount of microplastics in artificial seawater.
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