Micro(nano)plastics as Environmental Vectors for POPs and Additives

Plastics, when discarded to the environment and transformed to micro plastics (MP), are persistent and have a high potential to cause physical and toxicological harm. Large knowledge gaps have been identified in two domains: (1) origin, abundance, and distribution of microplastics in freshwater systems and (2) toxicological and environmental effects (JPI Oceans, 2020). Among the various sources of MPs identified for freshwater, cities with their high population density and plastic-based domestic activities, are hotspots for MP deliveries towards aquatic systems (Kataoka et al. 2019). This work presents the research strategy and very first results of the Plastic-City research project (09.2023 – 08.2025). The project focusses on the city of Brussels, as a typical European city and aims at (1) quantifying the losses of MP towards its waterways (river Zenne and a navigation canal) in relation to domestic waste and wastewater management practices and (2) determine the associated interaction/transport of specific persistent organic micropollutants such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (eg. xenoestrogens) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their alkylated homologues Me-PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides.