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Plastics in the Aquatic Environment - Part I pp 405–426Cite as

The Microplastics in Metro Manila Rivers: Characteristics, Sources, and Abatement

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 111))

Abstract

Microplastics, which are considered as emerging contaminants, have been reported to be leaked to the open environment on a global scale. Few studies have been conducted on the occurrence of microplastics on several water bodies in the country given the fact that the Philippines is considered to be the third largest contributor of plastics in oceans. This chapter described the composition and distribution of plastic wastes and quantified and characterized microplastics in terms of shape and polymer type in several rivers especially within Metro Manila draining to two of the most economically important water bodies, the Manila Bay and the Laguna de Bay. Extracted microplastics in sampling sites are mostly fragments derived from larger plastics (secondary microplastics) which signified the importance of an efficient solid waste management to reduce the leakage of the plastic waste and microplastics to the open environment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The smallest political unit comprising a city or municipality.

  2. 2.

    A tidal channel used as a drainage canal.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Civil Engineering, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

    Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling

  2. Environmental Engineering Program, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

    Ezra D. Osorio

Authors
  1. Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling
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  2. Ezra D. Osorio
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Friederike Stock

  2. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Georg Reifferscheid

  3. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Nicole Brennholt

  4. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Evgeniia Kostianaia

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Tanchuling, M.A.N., Osorio, E.D. (2020). The Microplastics in Metro Manila Rivers: Characteristics, Sources, and Abatement. In: Stock, F., Reifferscheid, G., Brennholt, N., Kostianaia, E. (eds) Plastics in the Aquatic Environment - Part I. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 111. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_659

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