MICROPLASTICS IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF TAGANROG

The article presents the results of a study of microplastic pollution of the coastal zone of the Sea of Azov near the city of Taganrog. The level of microplastic content in coast and bottom sediments, water and atmospheric air was estimated. Microplastic includes any type of plastic fragment less than 5 mm in length. It enters the environment from various sources, both industrial and agricultural or domestic. The purpose of the work is to assess the level of microplastic contamination of the Taganrog city environment, to determine morphological and morphometric characteristics, to assess the degree of degradation and the composition of microparticles. In the course of the research, sampling was carried out in the coastal zone of the city of Taganrog and 21 samples of sand sediments, 7 samples of bottom sediments, 14 samples of water and 5 samples of aerosols were taken. A modified NOAA method was used for the received samples; it includes the following manipulations: drying, sifting, filtration, density separation, liquid oxidation, visual sorting using a stereo microscope Micromed MS-1 var. 2C Digital, determination of the degree of microplastic degradation using a microscope VEGA II LMU and identification of the chemical composition of the detected particles using a JASCO FT/IR-6800 IR-Fourier spectrometer. According to the obtained data it was found that microplastics are presented in 100% of samples (sand and bottom sediments, waters, aerosols). In sand sediments, the content of particles reached 154 pcs/m2, in bottom sediments 145 pcs/kg, in water 119 pcs/l. The highest concentrations were recorded in the southern part of the city (Lomakin street). In atmospheric air samples, the largest amount of precipitation was up to 918 particles per 1 m2 per day (Chekhov street).

microplastics, bottom and sand sediments, aerosols, water contamination, morphological and morphometric characteristics, Sea of Azov, Taganrog