Accuracy of a Simple Microplastics Investigation Method on Sandy Beaches

Abstract

Environmental pollution by microplastics (MPs) has become a growing concern, and not only professional researchers but also the citizenry are needed to understand the pollution situation and to confirm the decreasing trend of MP pollution as a result of the global reduction in plastic use. In this study, the author evaluated the accuracy of a simple method of investigating MPs on sandy beaches that can be conducted even by high school students. In a land survey using simple tools such as a tape measure and cardboard, the maximum coefficient of variation is approximately 1%. Even without heavy liquid, 89% of MPs could be recovered using only seawater. An investigation of MP content by sampling 0.5 cm of the surface layer of sand could explain more than half of the MP content when the sand was sampled to a depth of approximately 50 cm below the surface layer. A method in which the recovered MPs are not visually sorted but floating matter after boiling is considered as MPs is acceptable. If there was no concern about pumice contamination, the overestimation was approximately 1.5 times. Simple laboratory equipment such as buckets, sieves, seawater, hot plates, dryers, and electronic balances could achieve lower limits of quantification of MPs of 13 mg-MPs/m2-sand and 2 mg-MPs/kg-sand.