150722 20260219090941.0 doi 10.3390/environments12010004 sideral 142714 ART-2024-142714 eng Brunetti, Luana S. Examining Microplastics Along the Calabrian Coastline: Analysis of Key Characteristics and Metal Contamination 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Plastic pollution is a major concern today. Microplastics (MPs), due to their small size, can enter the food chain and cause serious harm to living organisms. The Mediterranean Sea is the sixth largest accumulation area for plastic waste, including MPs, worldwide. In this study, we analyzed the distribution, shape, color, size, and polymer composition of MPs (having dimensions between 330 µm and 5 mm), collected from the water surface in six areas along the Calabrian coast, Italy. A prevalence of polyethylene was detected, with higher concentrations of MPs found in the Gioia Tauro and Cetraro areas. Additionally, heavy metals were identified within the MPs, suggesting that these particles could act as environmental carriers of such elements into the food chain. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/E29-23R info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2021-123203OB-I00 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 3.7 2024 0.831 2024 Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 2024 Q1 Environmental Science (miscellaneous) 2024 Q1 Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 2024 Q2 5.7 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Piersante, Costanza La Russa, Mauro F. Cellini, Emilio Bolea, Eduardo Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-5382-0561 Laborda, Francisco Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-4169-0357 Ruffolo, Silvestro A. 2009 750 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Química Analítica Área Química Analítica 12, 1 (2024), 4 [18 pp.] Environments ENVIRONMENTS 2076-3298 3089306 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150722/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2630633 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150722/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:150722 articulos driver 2026-02-19-09:00:51 ARTICLE