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SHORT COMMUNICATION
Distribution of Microplastics in an Urban Soil:
The Case of a Medium-Sized City
in the Central Valley of Chile
1
Department of Animal Science, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción,
P.O. Box 537, Chillán, Chile
2
Department of Soils & Natural Resources, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción,
P.O. Box 537, Chillán, Chile
Submission date: 2024-03-12
Final revision date: 2024-05-28
Acceptance date: 2024-06-23
Online publication date: 2024-09-16
Publication date: 2025-06-06
Corresponding author
Winfred Eliezer Espejo
Department of Soils & Natural Resources, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, PO Box 160-C, 407003, Concepción, Chile
Department of Soils & Natural Resources, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, PO Box 160-C, 407003, Concepción, Chile
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(4):4969-4976
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
A large number of plastics are produced at the global level annually, and most end up in aquatic
and terrestrial environments. Their extensive production and mismanagement have led to
the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in soils, posing concerns for human health and ecosystems.
The aim of this study was to assess the presence of MPs in urban soils of the city of Chillán (Chile),
in order to identify areas with higher concentrations. A systematic soil sampling covered the entire
urban area of the city on a 500-m grid during January-February 2023. The sieved samples underwent
MP extraction, identification, and classification using a stereo-electron microscope. Of the 174 sampling
points evaluated, 95% contained MPs, with 68% in the form of plastic fibers and 32% in plastic
fragments. The high prevalence of MPs found in the urban soil of Chillán indicates that urgent actions
are needed to understand their environmental and health impacts.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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