DENSIDADE, TAXA DE ENTRADA E ANÁLISE MORFOLÓGICA DE PELLETS PLÁSTICOS NA PRAIA DE SANTA CRUZ DOS NAVEGANTES, GUARUJÁ – SP

A maior parte da matéria-prima utilizada em indústrias de plástico faz uso de pellets. Devido suas características, quando em ambientes aquáticos, grânulos plásticos podem concentrar e transportar diversos poluentes. A região da baía de Santos (SP) representa um local de grande importância para a economia, em função do Porto de Santos (SP). Neste estudo, a praia de Santa Cruz dos Navegantes, no município do Guarujá, localizada próxima à desembocadura do canal do porto de Santos foi amostrada. Com o objetivo de quantificar e analisar os pellets recentemente depositados foi calculado a taxa de entrada, densidade e análise morfológica destes grânulos. Para isso, foram realizadas cinco campanhas de coleta, de 7 a 11 de janeiro de 2019, direcionadas aos pellets presentes nos sedimentos superficiais da linha de deixa de maré durante picos de maré baixa. As densidades encontradas variaram entre 41,0 e 92,3 pellets/m² e a taxa de entrada foi entre 34,74 e 71,10 pellets/m². Essas maiores quantidades podem ser explicadas pelo fato de que a praia de Santa Cruz dos Navegantes recebe uma quantidade menor de banhistas e não tem limpeza de praia. Estes fatores fazem com que os pellets continuem presentes nos sedimentos superficiais. Foram encontrados pellets com oito formatos distintos, sendo os mais encontrados os cilíndrico achatado (28%), esférico achatado (25%) e disforme (24%). O tamanho dos pellets encontrados foi, em maioria entre 3,0 e 4,0 milímetros, porém, foram encontrados grânulos entre 1,5 e 6,0 milímetros. Outros estudos da região encontraram quantidades maiores de grânulos cilíndricos e esféricos achatados e menos disformes. Essa descoberta elucida que a praia de Santa Cruz dos Navegantes recebe pellets degradados. Entretanto, esses pellets não foram degradados ao ponto de diminuir de tamanho.DENSITY, INTAKE, AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PLASTIC PELLETS IN SANTA CRUZ DOS NAVEGANTES BEACH, GUARUJÁ – SPABSTRACTMost of the raw material used in plastic industries use pellets. Due to their characteristics, when in aquatic environments, plastic granules can concentrate and transport various pollutants. The region of the Bay of Santos (SP) represents a place of great importance for the economy, due to the port ofSantos (SP). In this study, the beach of Santa Cruz dos Navegantes, in the city of Guarujá, located close to the mouth of the canal of the Port of Santos was sampled. In order to quantify and analyze the recently deposited pellets, the entry rate, density and morphological analysis of these granules were calculated. For this, five collection campaigns were carried out, from 7 to 11 January 2019,directed toward the pellets present in the superficial sediments of the higt tide line during low tide peaks. The densities found ranged from 41.0 to 92.3 pellets/m² and the entrance rate was between 34.74 and 71.10 pellets/m². These higher quantities can be explained by the fact that the beach ofSanta Cruz dos Navegantes receives a smaller amount of bathers and does not have beach cleaning. These factors cause the pellets to remain present in the superficial sediments. Pellets were found with eight different formats, the most found being the flattened cylindrical (28%), flat spherical (25%) and Dysforme (24%). The size of the pellets found was, in the majority between 3.0 and 4.0millimeters, however, granules were found between 1.5 and 6.0 millimeters. Other studies in the region have found larger amounts of flattened cylindrical and spherical granules and less dysforms. This discovery elucided that the beach of Santa Cruz dos Navegantes receives degraded pellets. However, these pellets were not degraded to the point of decreasing in size.Keywords: Beach; Pollution; Micro-plastic.

Beach Pollution Effects on Health and Productivity in California

The United States (U.S.) Clean Water Act triggered over $1 trillion in investments in water pollution abatement. However, treated sewage discharge and untreated runoff water that are contaminated by fecal matter are discharged into California beach waters daily. Warnings are posted to thwart the public from contacting polluted coastal water, according to the California Code of Regulations (CCR). This paper evaluated the current policy by empirically examining the productivity loss, in the form of sick leave, which is caused by fecal-contaminated water along the California coast under the CCR. The findings of this study showed that Californians suffer productivity losses in the amount of 3.56 million sick leave days per year due to recreational beach water pollution. This paper also empirically examined the pollution-to-sickness graph that Cabelli’s classic study theoretically proposed. The results of the research assure that the existing water quality thresholds are still reasonably safe and appropriate, despite the thresholds being based on studies from the 1950s. The weakness of the CCR lies in its poor enforcement or compliance. Better compliance, in terms of posting pollution advisories and increasing public awareness regarding beach pollution effects on health, would lead to a significant decrease in sick leaves and a corresponding increase in productivity. Therefore, this study advocates for stronger enforcement by displaying pollution advisories and better public awareness of beach pollution effects on health.

How many pellets are too many? The pellet pollution index as a tool to assess beach pollution by plastic resin pellets in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Plastic pellets are significant components of marine litter and can be found floating in the sea or stranded on beaches. How- ever, current assessments of this issue lack standardization to allow comparisons of pellet pollution levels between different locations. Thus, the present study proposes the Pellet Pollution Index (PPI) to classify beaches based on the amount of pellets found in a given area of superficial sand. Pellets were sampled from 24 sites (P01 – P24) along the municipality of Salvador, Brazil, within a quadrat of 1 x 1 x 0.05m on the strandline and backshore. Twenty-two sites were located along the oceanic coastline, while the remaining 2 sites were within the Todos os Santos Bay. Results showed that, considering the coastline of Salvador as a whole, the PPI indicated a very low degree of pollution. This approach should aid future attempts of locating and removing the plastic anthropogenic component of the sediment on beaches and in marine environments.