Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163

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Science of the Total Environment

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv

Short Communication

Microplastics in freshwater sediments of Atoyac River basin, Puebla

City, Mexico
V.C. Shruti a,b,⁎, M.P. Jonathan a, P.F. Rodriguez-Espinosa a, Francisco Rodríguez-González c
a
Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de Junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán,
Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, Mexico
b
Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340 Ciudad de
México, Mexico
c
Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos (CEPROBI), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Carretera Yautepec Jojutla Km. 6, Calle CEPROBI No. 8, Col. San Isidro, Yautepec, Morelos C.P. 62731,
Mexico

H I G H L I G H T S G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T

• Microplastics (MPs) were studied along

the Atoyac River Basin located in Central
Mexico.
• Scanning electron microscope images
showed morphological characteristics
and several disintegration patterns.
• Energy-dispersive X-ray spectra re-
vealed the presence of different major
& trace metals on the surface of MPs.
• Atoyac River Basin is significantly af-
fected by MPs in sediment column.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic environments. The abundance, distribution
Received 31 August 2018 and characteristics (color, morphology, texture) of MPs from Atoyac River basin, a highly urbanized river system
Received in revised form 20 October 2018 located in Central Mexico were investigated in this study. The sediment samples were collected from 29 different
Accepted 4 November 2018
sites along the Atoyac River basin in four different zones: Zahuapan River, Atoyac River, Confluence zone and
Available online 6 November 2018
Valsequillo dam and processed for MPs extraction using ZnCl2 density separation method. The total number of
Editor: Damia Barcelo MPs in Zahuapan River, Atoyac River, Confluence zone and Valsequillo dam was 1633.34 ± 202.56, 1133.33 ±
72.76, 833.33 ± 80.79 and 900 ± 346.12 items kg−1 respectively. It was found that the concentration of MPs
Keywords: is higher in the downstream section of the river (confluence zone: 833.33 ± 80.79 & Valsequillo dam: 900 ±
Microplastics 346.12 items kg−1), revealing significant impacts of dense population and industrial complex of Puebla City. Col-
Emerging contaminant ored MPs were predominant accounting for 51% and white MPs for 49% of the total MPs. Films (25.9%) and frag-
SEM/EDX ments (22.2%) were the most abundant type followed by fibers (14.8%). Scanning electron microscope images
Sediments revealed varying disintegration features and energy-dispersive X-ray spectra demonstrated the presence of dif-
Atoyac River basin
ferent metal elements on the surface of MPs. The results highlighted the widespread distribution of MPs in the
Mexico
sediments of Atoyac River basin, Mexico.
© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

⁎ Corresponding author at: Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de Junio
de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P.07340 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
E-mail address: shrutifrnd@gmail.com (V.C. Shruti).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.054
0048-9697/© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163 155

1. Introduction
Global production of plastics reached 355 million tons in 2016, with
Asia being the leading producer with 50% of market share followed by
Europe (19%) and North America (18%) (Geyer et al., 2017; Plastics
Europe, 2017; Jambeck et al., 2015). Huge amounts of plastics are
being deposited in different environmental matrices across the globe.
Over the past decades, researchers have identified microplastics (MPs)
(plastic particles b5 mm) as potential contaminants of emerging con-
cern due to their ubiquity, long residence time and tendency to be
ingested by biota (Arthur et al., 2008; Galgani et al., 2010; Andrady,
2011; Farrell and Nelson, 2013; Eerkes-Medrano et al., 2015). In
Mexico, our research group reported the first study on the distribution
of MPs in marine sediments of Huatulco Bay (Retama et al., 2016).

Fig. 1. Study area map showing sampling locations from Atoyac River basin, Puebla, Central Mexico.
156 V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163

Later, Piñon-Colin et al. (2018) identified MPs in the sandy beaches of
Baja California. On the other hand, the detection of MPs in freshwater
ecosystems of Mexico remains unexplored. Owing to this concern, we
focused on the Atoyac River basin located in Central Mexico which is
the third most contaminated site in the country receiving loads of
metals, organic and chemical pollutants (CONAGUA, 2010). This basin,
with an extension of 4396 km2, includes two major rivers: Atoyac and
Zahuapan, finally draining into Manuel Camacho Avila (Valsequillo) res-
ervoir (Fig. 1). This river-reservoir system is situated in economically
booming cities of Puebla and Tlaxcala. Developing urban areas and mul-
titude of industries along this river basin has emerged several environ-
mental problems (Morales-García et al., 2013, 2017; Rodríguez-
Espinosa et al., 2015, 2018; Martínez-Tavera et al., 2017; Shruti et al.,
2017, 2018).
As Atoyac River basin is located in a highly urbanized and industrial
corridor of Central Mexico, we hypothesize that activities in residential,
commercial and industrial areas would significantly result in higher
levels of MPs. To test this hypothesis, this present study is designed
with the following objectives: 1) identification and quantification of
MPs abundance in the sediments and their spatial distribution along
the Atoyac River basin, 2) characterization of MPs like color, morphol-
ogy and texture using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images
and, 3) determining surface elemental composition of MPs by SEM
equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX). To our knowl-
edge, this first study investigates MPs contamination across an under
studied region of the globe and, more broadly, the first such study for ei-
ther a small or an urban river system of Mexico.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Study area and sample collection
Atoyac River basin (18°57′02″N and 98°15′37″W) lies in the central
part of Mexico over the volcanic highlands flanked by La Malinche vol-
cano (dormant) in the east, Iztaccíhuatl (extinct) and Popocatépetl (ac-
tive since 1994) volcanoes in the west and northwest. The Atoyac and
Zahuapan Rivers flow across the agricultural, industrial and residential
terrain of Puebla and Tlaxcala with ~3.3 million inhabitants residing in
the river basin (INEGI, 2010; Martínez-Tavera et al., 2017). The rivers fi-
nally drain into Valsequillo dam located 22 km south of Puebla City with
an area of 237.9 km2 and 405 million m3 of water storage capacity (CNA,
2005). The land use is heterogeneous, with 63.6% area dedicated to ag-
ricultural activities, 22% of forest cover, 4.95% of pasture land, and 7.6%
of urban zone with residential and industrial activities (IMTA, 2005;
Martínez-Tavera, 2016). The industries are mainly related to metals,
machinery, heavy equipment, food sector, textiles, clothing, leather,
chemicals, oil, rubber, plastics, timber products and other industries
(INAFED, 2009; INEGI, 2010). The rate of industrial growth is estimated
to be 60% over the past 20 years which is primarily due to the decentral-
ization of industries from Mexico City (Gárfias et al., 2010).
To determine the presence of MPs, 29 sediment samples were col-
lected all along the Atoyac River basin during September 2013. The sam-
pling sites were selected based on the population density, urban and
industrial areas as well as proximity to waste water treatment plants
(WWTPs) (Table 1). Accordingly, samples from four different zones:

Table 1
Abundance of MPs, industries, population and WWTPs in four zones of Atoyac River Basin, Puebla, Central Mexico.

Zones Sampling stations MPs (average items kg−1) Standard deviation (±SD) Industries (n) Population WWTPs
(Inhabitants) (n)
Textile Clothing Plastics

Zahuapan River 1 133.33 5.52 373 706 28 715,820 21

2 100 16.33
3 100 57.15
4 166.67 16.49
5 266.67 23.30
6 333.33 12.03
7 66.67 15.46
8 66.67 15.11
9 400 41.16
Sum. 1633.34 202.56
Atoyac River 10 233.33 13.95 90 613 30 408,928 17
11 133.33 9.27
12 400 13.37
13 266.67 18.37
14 100 17.80
Sum. 1133.33 72.76
Confluence Zone 15 66.67 7.93 266 634 157 1,979,379 6
16 200 8.04
17 333.33 17.38
18 233.33 47.44
Sum. 833.33 80.79
Valsequillo dam 19 33.33 11.55 13 38 11 42,366 0
20 66.67 40.76
21 100 39.37
22 33.33 6.48
23 100 46.88
24 33.33 15.12
25 100 56.86
26 166.67 56.10
27 66.67 34.72
28 66.67 14.66
29 133.33 23.62
Sum. 900 346.12
Total MPs in Atoyac River basin 4500 702.23

MPs: microplastics; WWTPs: waste water treatment plants; n: number.

 V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163 157

Table 2
Recent studies reporting microplastics in freshwaters worldwide.

Freshwater system Country Sample type Extraction type MP abundance (items kg−1) References
(Density separation)

Beijiang River China Sediment NaCl 312 Wang et al. (2017)

River networks, Shanghai China Sediment NaCl 88 Peng et al. (2018)
Rhine and Main river Germany Sediment NaCl Rhine: 3763; Main: 1368 Klein et al. (2015)
Ottawa River Canada Sediment NaCl 220 Vermaire et al. (2017)
Thames River United Kingdom Sediment ZnCl2 1398 Horton et al. (2017)
Bloukrans River system South Africa Sediment NaCl 160 Nel et al. (2018)
Meuse River Netherlands Sediment NaCl 1400 Leslie et al. (2017)
Antuã River Portugal Sediment ZnCl2 18–629 Rodrigues et al. (2018)
Mersey and Irwell river network England Sediment NaCl; NaI 2812–6350 Hurley et al. (2018)
Atoyac River basin Mexico Sediment ZnCl2 4500 Present study

1) Zahuapan River (S.Nos 1–9); 2) Atoyac River (S.Nos 10–14); 3) Con-
fluence zone (S.Nos 15–18) and 4) Valsequillo dam (S.Nos 19–29) were
collected and processed for MPs. The variation in the number of sam-
pling sites in these different four zones was purely based on the acces-
sibility to the river (Fig. 1). A trowel was used to collect the sediment
samples from the midstream channel in the sites of Zahuapan River,
Atoyac River and Confluence zone. Whereas, a Van-veen grab sampler
was used to collect the samples in the sites of Valsequillo dam where
the depth of the water column was in the range of 0.5–40 m. The sam-
ples were stored in closed glass containers and transported to labora-
tory for further analyses.
2.2. Sample treatment and microplastic extraction
MPs from three replicate sediment samples per site were extracted
based on a density separation method modified from Thompson et al.
(2004). The collected wet sediment samples were oven dried b40 °C.
Subsequently, 30 g of dry sediment sample was weighed and placed
in a glass beaker pre-rinsed with deionized water. Firstly, 30 ml of 30%
H2O2 was added to the beaker and left overnight to remove natural or-
ganic debris. Later to this pretreatment, 36 ml of zinc chloride (ZnCl2)
solution (ρ ≈ 1.58 g/cm3) was introduced into the sediment beaker.
We used ZnCl2 in this study as it has been suitable for the separation
of most polymer types (Liebezeit and Dubaish, 2012; Imhof et al.,
2013; Nuelle et al., 2014). After 24 h, the supernatant containing MPs
was filtered through a nitrocellulose filter paper (Merck Millipore, di-
ameter 25 mm, pore size 1.2 μm) with a vacuum pump. Lastly, deionized
water was added multiple times to the walls of the filtering device to re-
move dissolved chemical residues. The filter paper containing MPs was
then air-dried in the laboratory and stored in petri dishes.
Preliminary observations were carried out using stereomicroscope
(Carl Zeiss – Stemi: 305 Trino) to estimate the morphology and color.
The collected particles were further observed and documented using
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM: Carl Zeiss- EVO LS10, CEPROBI-
IPN, Mexico). The surface elemental composition was determined in
SEM coupled energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX).
2.3. Contamination prevention
To prevent contamination of the samples from plastic products,
strict control measures were implemented during the laboratory analy-
ses. The instruments were rinsed three times with Milli Q water and
then dried before the experiments. Cotton laboratory coats and
polymer-free gloves were always worn to keep the process sterile dur-
ing the experiments. The lab windows remained closed during experi-
ments. MPs extraction process was performed in a laminar flow
cabinet to avoid contamination with airborne MPs. During extraction
and identification stages, three procedural blanks were used to cross-
check the contamination of plastic materials and resulted negatively
with no MPs in blanks.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Abundance and spatial variability of MPs
The MPs abundance was determined as items per kg of dried weight
sample (items kg−1 DW). MPs were found in every replicate sediment
sample at all 29 sampling sites in the Atoyac River basin with a total
number of 4500 ± 702.23 (sum ± std. dev) items kg−1 DW (Table 1).
To understand the significance of population density, industrial activi-
ties and WWTPs on MPs, the respective data in each zone of the Atoyac
River basin were collected and are also presented in Table 1.
MPs were widely detected in the Atoyac River basin, with a total
number of 1633.34 ± 202.56, 1133.33 ± 72.76, 833.33 ± 80.79 & 900
± 346.12 items kg−1 DW in Zahuapan River, Atoyac River, Confluence
zone and Valsequillo dam respectively (Table 1). Zahuapan River

Fig. 2. a) Types of microplastics. b) Color of microplastics in Atoyac River basin, Puebla, Central Mexico. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure, the reader is referred to
the web version of this article.)
158 V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163

presented higher abundance of MPs (1633.34 ± 202.56 items kg−1 DW)
compared to the other three zones. However, in accordance with num-
ber of samples collected from each zone, the confluence zone presented
higher number of MPs in only four sediment samples (833.33 ±
80.79 items kg−1 DW), which is nearly half the amount encountered
in nine samples of Zahuapan River (1633.34 ± 202.56 items kg−1 DW).
This notable abundance of MPs in the sediment samples of confluence
zone is attributed to the dense population and numerous industries of
Puebla City (Fig. 1 and Table 1). In case of Zahuapan River and Atoyac
River, a proportional relationship is viewed between the number of
MPs (1633.34 ± 202.56; 1133.33 ± 72.76 items kg−1 DW) and
WWTPs (21; 17) located in its proximity. Despite of less population,

Fig. 3. SEM images displaying different disintegration features in microplastics a–b) pits; c–d) fractures; e–f) flakes; g–h) adhering particles.
 V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163
low number of industries and complete absence of WWTPs, the sedi-
ments of Valsequillo dam exhibited significant numbers of MPs (900
± 346.12 items kg−1 DW) which is comparatively higher than the con-
fluence zone (833.33 ± 80.79 items kg−1 DW). This is likely a result of
the greater contribution of MPs from upstream river reaches to
Valsequillo dam (i.e. the most downstream site will receive the greatest
amount of MPs inputs from all sources upstream). Also, the standing
water aids in increased flocculation and eventual deposition and accu-
mulation of MPs in sediments of Valsequillo dam. Overall, our results in-
dicate that MPs concentrations in the lower reaches of the river
(confluence zone and Valsequillo dam) are significantly influenced by
anthropogenic activities in Puebla City.
3.1.1. Comparison of MPs in freshwaters across the globe
Recent worldwide studies on MPs abundances in sediments that
used same quantification units (items kg−1) are summarized in
Table 2. Here, the MPs abundances of this study were compared with
other published reports. The abundances of MPs in the Atoyac river
basin were higher in magnitude than those reported: Beijiang River
(Wang et al., 2017; 14 fold), River networks of Shanghai (Peng et al.,
2018; 51 fold), Ottawa River (Vermaire et al., 2017; 20 fold), Thames
River (Horton et al., 2017; 3 fold), Bloukrans River system (Nel et al.,
2018; 28 fold), Meuse River (Leslie et al., 2017; 3 fold), Antuã River
(Rodrigues et al., 2018; 7 fold) and Rhine River in Germany (Klein
et al., 2015; 1 fold). Additionally, MPs abundances in this study were
in the similar range with Mersey and Irwell river network in England
Fig. 4. a–c) SEM images of commonly used plastic carry bags and straw; d–i) SEM images of selected microplastics in Atoyac River basin, Puebla, Central Mexico.
159
(Hurley et al., 2018). It is important to note that the adopted methodo-
logical approaches such as sample collection and application of different
density separators influence the number of MPs obtained. As seen in
Table 2, ZnCl2 and NaCl have been widely used in recent studies to ex-
tract MPs. Although the mechanism underlying the MPs separation
using ZnCl2 and NaCl is similar, still the output varies. For instance, the
density of saturated NaCl solution (ρ ≈ 1.2 g/cm3) does not offer consis-
tent separation of higher density polymers such as polyoxymethylene,
polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate (Hidalgo-Ruz et al.,
2012; Claessens et al., 2013), which in turn affects the total number of
extracted MPs. In contrary, zinc chloride (ρ N 1.6–1.7 g/cm3) has offered
adequate density for the separation of most polymer types and aids in
effective extraction of MPs. Also, the lower cost of ZnCl2 compared to
others high-density separators such as sodium polytungstate and so-
dium iodide makes it suitable for large volume samples (Imhof et al.,
2013; Coppock et al., 2017). Apart from this, we should also consider
that the environmental conditions prevailing in the given region such
as daily discharge, anthropogenic activities, developmental programs
and flow velocity affects the mobilization of sediments and previously
settled particles thereby, altering the quantity of MPs (Walling, 2009;
Ballent et al., 2016; Naden et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2017).
3.2. Morphological characteristics of MPs
Different types of MPs were observed, including films (25.9%), frag-
ments (22.2%), fibers (14.8%) and pellets (11.1%) (Fig. 2a). Fragment
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V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163
Fig. 5. a–f: Surface elemental compositions of few microplastics in Atoyac River basin, Puebla, Central Mexico.
 V.C. Shruti et al. / Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163
and film shaped MPs in this study accounted for nearly 48% of total MPs.
Sources of fragment and film material are most likely from the break-
down of many plastic products such as plastic carry bags, packaging ma-
terials and plastic containers (Derraik, 2002; Nor and Obbard, 2014;
Zhang et al., 2015). Fibers were the second most abundant MPs found
in the sediments of Atoyac River basin. Their presence has been com-
monly attributed to the release of synthetic fibers from textiles and gar-
ments during washing (Browne et al., 2011; Cole, 2016; Almroth et al.,
2017; Hernandez et al., 2017). Notably, Puebla and Tlaxcala are the fore-
most sites for the origin of textile industry in Latin America and pres-
ently, there are nearly 742 textile industries operating close to this
river system. The textile effluents and domestic sewage containing fi-
bers from washing clothes are the prime sources of fibrous MPs in this
region. The occurrence of pellets was relatively small with 11.1% and a
total of 15 pellets detected in five sediment samples (Atoyac River: S.
Nos 10, 11, Confluence zone: S.No 15, and Valsequillo dam: S.Nos 20,
26). Pellets are generally manufactured products used as feedstock for
the plastic industry, also in cosmetics, personal care products such as fa-
cial cleansers and automobile industries (Mani et al., 2015; Karlsson
et al., 2018). Therefore, plastic manufacturers located in high numbers
along this river basin (~226 industries) that wash away their plastic
wastes, domestic and industrial effluents are possible potential sources
of pellets.
MPs were also classified based on their colors. Of all the sediment
samples studied here, MPs were classified into two populations; colored
MPs (51%) and white MPs (49%) (Fig. 2b). The colored particles were
dominant that include blue (16%), brown (5%) and others (30%) respec-
tively. These colored MPs are often the resulting product of degradation
of multiple plastic products that are widely used in daily life such as
clothing, packaging etc. (Zhang et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2017). It is ob-
served that the large population size, activities of urban areas, industries
and WWTPs surrounding the Atoyac River basin are the possible
sources of colored MPs. On the other hand, the influence of color on
its bioavailability is highly recognized. Especially, the white MPs poten-
tially contribute to the likelihood of ingestion by plankton, fishes and
other organisms due to prey resemblance (Shaw and Day, 1994;
Wright et al., 2013; Kaposi et al., 2014; Nobre et al., 2015; Anderson
et al., 2016). Thereby, MPs enter the aquatic food webs at multiple tro-
phic levels and pose several ingested-related physiological and particle-
toxicity effects (Clark et al., 2016; Scherer et al., 2017; Steer et al., 2017).
The white MPs in the present study rise serious concern particularly in
Valsequillo dam. This region is covered with ~1200 m2 of water hya-
cinth that grows and reaches 25 m down the water body creating a
zone of oxygenation, facilitating reproduction and growth of different
varieties of fishes. Thus, the biotic components of this freshwater system
demand further studies to comprehend the actual state of MPs
distribution.
3.3. Surface textures
Disintegration significantly affects MPs characteristics and varies
with respect to the given environmental system. It is understood from
the literature that physical degradation of plastics is most effective in
freshwater environments; where, water turbulences, flow velocity,
physical abrasion and freeze-thaw cycles play vital role in the disinte-
gration of MPs (Shah et al., 2008; Duis and Coors, 2016). Such patterns
of disintegration like pits, fractures, flakes and adhering particles were
observed in SEM images of the MPs studied here (Fig. 3a–h). Hence, it
is evident that the MPs in the Atoyac River basin had experienced disin-
tegration in different levels. Based upon the hypothesis that the daily
used plastic items are major sources of MPs, we intended to observe
the unique morphological characteristics of commonly used plastic
carry bags and straw in SEM. Accordingly, SEM images were taken and
presented in Fig. 4a–c. The morphology as presented in the commonly
used plastic items was similar in appearance to the MPs found in the
present study (Fig. 4d–i).
161
3.4. Surface elemental composition of MPs
The surface elemental composition of MPs from Atoyac River basin
was analyzed using SEM coupled with EDX. The EDX spectra confirmed
the presence of various metals (adsorbed, adhered or as additives) in-
cluding both major (Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, Si, Ti, S, Cl & P) and trace elements
(Co, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr & Ta) on the surface of MPs (Fig. 5a–f). Several labora-
tory experiments (Holmes et al., 2012, 2014; Turner and Holmes, 2015)
and environmental monitoring studies (Rochman et al., 2014) have
shown that the plastic fragments could accumulate metals from the sur-
rounding environment. According to our previous studies, the sedi-
ments of this river basin are experiencing a high degree of metal
enrichment due to natural and anthropogenic activities (Shruti et al.,
2017; Morales-García et al., 2017; Rodríguez-Espinosa et al., 2018). It
is not surprising herein, because, most of the metals that were found
on MPs surface have also been observed in the sediment samples of
our previous studies. Metals found on the MPs surface like Al, Fe, Mg,
Ca, Na, Si, Ti & S are derived from natural volcanic and geological
sources. Cr and Ni derive their origin from the electroplating industries,
where they are used as anti-corrosive agents and from textile dyeing in-
dustries situated along the river basin. Likewise, Pb and Zn are mainly
associated with agricultural activity of this basin (63.6%), in addition
to the automobile exhausts. The presence of these metals also raises a
concern, as transfer of toxic metals to biota via MPs ingestion could re-
sult in subsequent bioaccumulation and biomagnification and ulti-
mately, posing risk to the biota (Turner and Holmes, 2015; Hodson
et al., 2017). Moreover, studies investigating the release of metals
from MPs under the simulated physiochemical conditions and impacts
on ingested organisms due to interaction between MPs and metals de-
serves further attention.
4. Conclusion
This work demonstrates the widespread distribution of MPs in a
freshwater system situated in Puebla, Mexico. The results indicated
that the sites in the downstream section of the river were abundant
with MPs, where the urban-industrial corridor of Puebla City is located.
The SEM images illustrated MPs of varying disintegration patterns like
pits, fractures and flakes. Surface elemental studies revealed the pres-
ence of various metals which requires subsequent investigations to
study the potential ecotoxicological impact of such emerging contami-
nant. Data presented in this study are critical for taking policy reforms
and effective management of MPs contamination to keep up with the
rapidly growing population.
Acknowledgements
The work is funded by the project Estudios para la Red de Estaciones
de Monitoreo en Tiempo Real para la Preservación, Conservación y
Mejoramiento de la Calidad del Agua en la Cuenca del Alto-Atoyac,
Puebla, Mexico (Grant number: PYV-105-2017). This Project is from
SDRSOT Gobierno de Puebla, Mexico. All the authors wish to express
their gratitude to Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI) and Consejo
Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT). MPJ, PFRE and FRG thanks
Estimulos al Desempeño de los Investigadores (EDI) and Comisión de
Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas (COFAA) (IPN
Mexico). Special thanks to Esaú López Martínez for assistance in maps.
We thank Daniel Tapia Maruri for his technical assistance in laboratory
of Área de Microscopia correlativa, Centro de Desarrollo de Productos
Bióticos (CEPROBI), IPN, Mexico. This article is 104th contribution (par-
tial) from Earth System Science Group (ESSG), Chennai, India.
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