VARIOUS NATIONAL MEDIA: UK rivers heavily contaminated with microplastics, study finds

Press/Media: Research

Description

Researchers from The University of Manchester are calling for tighter regulations on waste flowing into urban waterways, after the first study of its kind found that microplastics from urban river channels are a major contributor to the pollution problem in the oceans.

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic debris including microbeads, microfibres and plastic fragments which enter river systems from multiple sources including industrial effluent, storm water drains and domestic wastewater.

These particles pollute the environment and pose a threat to ecosystem health. Although around 90% of microplastic contamination in the oceans is thought to originate from land, not much is known about their storage and movements in river basins.

In the first detailed catchment-wide study anywhere in the world, Rachel Hurley, Jamie Woodward and James Rothwell from the Department of Geography at The University of Manchester examined the microplastics in river sediments from 40 sites across Greater Manchester, including rural streams in the hills and urban rivers in the city centre.

Period12 Mar 2018 → 13 Mar 2018

Media coverage

9

Media coverage

  • TitleManchester river has worst level of microplastic pollution ever recorded, study finds
    Media name/outletThe Independent
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date13/03/18
    DescriptionA river in Greater Manchester has the worst level of microplastic pollution ever recorded anywhere in the world, a study has discovered.

    The River Tame in Denton was one of several waterways in northwest England found to have "extraordinarily" high concentrations, with levels of plastic pollution worse than in Hong Kong and South Korea.

    Microplastics from these urban rivers and streams are a major contributor to fatal ocean pollution when they flood, the study found.
    URLwww.independent.co.uk/environment/greater-manchester-river-tame-microplastic-pollution-worst-ever-university-study-a8248576.html
    PersonsJamie Woodward
  • TitleManchester river has worst level of microplastic pollution in world, study finds
    Media name/outletDaily Mail
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date13/03/18
    DescriptionA river in the north-west of England had the highest recorded levels of microplastic pollution in the world, a study has found.

    Researchers at the University of Manchester studied rural streams and urban rivers at 40 sites across Greater Manchester, and discovered tiny plastic beads, fibres and fragments in all parts of the network.

    This included a site on the River Tame in Denton, which the team said had the worst levels of contamination so far recorded anywhere in the world.
    URLwww.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-5493783/Manchester-river-worst-level-microplastic-pollution-world-study-finds.html
    PersonsJamie Woodward
  • TitleManchester’s River Tame has highest recorded levels of microplastic pollution in the world
    Media name/outletMetro
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date13/03/18
    DescriptionA river in the north-west of England had the highest recorded levels of microplastic pollution in the world, a study has found. Researchers at the University of Manchester studied rural streams and urban rivers at 40 sites across Greater Manchester, and discovered tiny plastic beads, fibres and fragments in all parts of the network.
    URLmetro.co.uk/2018/03/13/manchester-river-highest-recorded-levels-microplastic-pollution-world-7382484/
    PersonsJamie Woodward
  • TitleBritish river has worst recorded microplastic pollution in the world
    Media name/outletITV News
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date13/03/18
    DescriptionResearchers at the University of Manchester looked at rural streams and urban rivers at 40 sites across Greater Manchester, and discovered tiny plastic beads, fibres and fragments in all parts of the network.

    This included a site on the River Tame in Denton, which the team said had the worst levels of contamination so far recorded anywhere in the world.
    URLhttps://www.itv.com/news/granada/2018-03-13/british-river-has-worst-recorded-microplastic-pollution-in-the-world/
    PersonsJamie Woodward
  • TitleHighest Recorded Levels of Microplastics Found In A Manchester River
    Media name/outletHuffington Post
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date13/03/18
    DescriptionThe largest recorded level of microplastic pollution in the world has been found in a British river, causing researchers to call out for tighter regulations on water wastage.

    Experts from the University of Manchester ran the first study of its kind, examining the microplastics found in river sediments across 40 sites in Greater Manchester. A detailed catchment-wide study of this kind of pollution has never been ran anywhere in the world before.
    URLwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/highest-recorded-levels-of-microplastics-have-been-found-in-a-manchester-river_uk_5aa79e69e4b087e5aaed821a
    PersonsJamie Woodward
  • TitleBritish river has worst recorded microplastic pollution in the world, study finds
    Media name/outletThe Telegraph
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/18
    DescriptionA British river has the worst microplastic pollution in the world, researchers have found, with levels even greater than hugely built-up areas such as in South Korea and Hong Kong.

    Geographers at The University of Manchester are calling for tighter regulations to prevent plastic entering waterways after finding ‘extraordinarily’ high concentrations in north west England.

    The team examined river sediments from 40 sites across Greater Manchester including urban rivers and rural streams. They found microplastic everywhere even in the remote parts of Saddleworth Moor in the South Pennines.
    URLhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/03/12/british-river-has-worst-recorded-microplastic-pollution-world/
    PersonsJamie Woodward
  • TitleMicroplastic pollution in oceans is far worse than feared, say scientists
    Media name/outletThe Guardian
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/18
    DescriptionThe number of tiny plastic pieces polluting the world’s oceans is vastly greater than thought, new research indicates.

    The work reveals the highest microplastic pollution yet discovered anywhere in the world in a river near Manchester in the UK. It also shows that the major floods in the area in 2015-16 flushed more than 40bn pieces of microplastic into the sea.

    The surge of such a vast amount of microplastic from one small river catchment in a single event led the scientists to conclude that the current estimate for the number of particles in the ocean – five trillion – is a major underestimate.
    URLhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/12/microplastic-pollution-in-oceans-is-far-greater-than-thought-say-scientists
    PersonsRachel Hurley
  • TitleMicroplastics are 'littering' riverbeds
    Media name/outletBBC (various outlets)
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/18
    DescriptionALSO FEATURED ON BBC NEWS 6 AND 10, RADIO 4 PM, BBC RADIO MANCHESTER, 2, 5 AND 6 AND BBC NORTHWEST TONIGHT

    Microscopic plastic beads, fragments and fibres are littering riverbeds across the UK - from rural streams to urban waterways.

    This is according to a study that analysed sediments from rivers in north-west England.

    Scientists from the University of Manchester tested river sediments at 40 sites throughout Greater Manchester and found "microplastics everywhere".

    There is evidence that such small particles can enter the food chain.
    URLwww.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43363545
    PersonsRachel Hurley, Jamie Woodward, James Rothwell
  • TitleBritish rivers found to be awash with microplastics
    Media name/outletThe Express
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date12/03/18
    DescriptionSamples were taken from 40 sites around Greater Manchester, including urban rivers and hill streams, and microplastics were found throughout the network.

    One site, the River Tame near Denton in Greater Manchester, had the highest plastic levels recorded anywhere in the world – 517,000 plastic particles per square metre.
    URLhttps://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/930836/Microplastics-water-pollution-plastic-rivers-major-source-ocean-pollution
    PersonsRachel Hurley, Jamie Woodward, James Rothwell

Keywords

  • plastic
  • microplastic
  • water pollution
  • geography
  • rivers