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Due the ability of plastics to act as a substrate to develop biofilms and their persistence in the environment, plastics have been claimed as vectors of bacterial dispersal. We evaluated the presence of faecal and marine bacteria adhering to the biofilm developed on marine plastics and the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Thus, we sampled coastal waters around the mouths of the Besòs and Llobregat rivers. Both areas are strongly impacted by human faecal pollution (either from rivers and submarine sewage outfalls). Samples of water, sediments and plastics from surface waters and sediments were collected during two campaigns in summer and autumn 2021. The presence of the faecal indicators E. coli, enterococci and crAssphage, 3 ARGs, potential pathogens lik Pseudomonas spp. and Vibrio spp. and other marine bacteria was analysed by culture and/or molecular methods. Results indicate that plastics are covered by a bacterial biofilm mainly of marine bacteria (4.9·10⁴ to 8.7·10⁶ gc mm-2) including Vibrio species. Low concentration of viable E. coli and Enterococci (42% and 67% of the samples) was detected on floating plastics. The ARGs sulI, blaTEM and tetW were detected in 67 - 88% of the surface plastic samples and 29 - 57% of the sediment plastics with a concentration of up to 6.7·102 gc·mm-2. These results suggest that the plastic debris may have come from wastewater or been colonised in environments with faecal contamination. The presence of faecal indicators in sediment plastics was null or low. Therefore, although in low concentrations, faecal bacteria and species of Pseudomonas and Vibrio were identified in marine plastics, suggesting that plastic pollution may be a potential reservoir of human pathogens and ARGs. Considering the abundance of plastic in aquatic environments (expected to increase in the future), its potential risk to public health must be assessed. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/425977/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

Plastic pollution has become a major threat to marine and terrestrial organisms and habitats worldwide. In particular, the study of microplastics (¡ 5 mm in length) in different environmental matrices often requires routine quantification, measurement and classification, especially during the analysis of high-throughput monitoring data. However, most of current protocols rely on time-consuming and manual counting and classification of microplastics, which enhances the potential for errors and biases. To address this problem, we propose a novel simple and inexpensive method for accelerating laboratory processing of microplastic samples using a modified common flatbed scanner coupled with a custom-built and open-source ImageJ/Fiji macro plugin, named MicroPlastic Scan Tool (MPScanTool). By the superposition of bright-field and dark-field scans, and precise image alignment, we achieve major accuracy (¿90%) to detect microplastics down to 0.15 mm in length at a 1200 dpi (47.2 pixels mm-1) scan resolution, and are able to differentiate between transparent or translucent and opaque microplastics in 95% of the cases. By color calibrating the flatbed scanner (i.e. by means of an IT8.7 Target) and using standard color charts we achieve a standardized color classification of microplastics with 92% of accuracy at an average processing rate of 300 plastics/minute. An integrated supervised classification algorithm (i.e. Random Forest model) is used to classify microplastics into 6 most common categories (i.e. fragments, films/sheets, filaments, foam, pellets, microbeads) with ¿90% accuracy. MPScanTool provides semi-automatic counting and particle categorization of microplastic samples and automatic file management, data processing, color determination and microplastic category classification thus accelerating microplastic sample processing, improving data quality and reducing visual subjectivity during sample treatment. Over 100,000 plastics have been analyzed in recent years employing our method (e.g. see Surfing for Science project), and can be used to accelerate monitoring campaigns in the future while increasing data thorughput. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427237/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

Only few studies have investigated microplastic pollution at a few meters from shore, mainly due to methodological limitations such as limited access to bathing areas with motorized vessels. Land-sourced plastics first encounter the nearshore, where they effectively breakdown into smaller pieces such as microplastics ( Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427235/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano

There is an ongoing critical need to gather scientifically robust datasets on floating plastic abundances and characteristics making use of the citizen science, as it provides clear advantages over conventional science by operating at long and wide spatiotemporal scales, reducing project costs and raising awareness. In 2019 we designed a low-cost, lightweight manta trawl to collect samples in the nearshore from recreational sports floating gear like SUP boards, kayaks, rowing boats, and others. Starting from 2020, several social, environmental and sports associations along the NW Mediterranean coast have been acquiring scientific samples. The project has represented a paradigm shift in microplastic research, allowing to fill the gap in knowledge of this transition coastal area, and actively involving citizens in the generation of genuine scientific outcomes. Starting from September 2022 the project has broadened horizons and new associations are collecting samples in the Cantabrian Sea, in the Atlantic. Our findings show considerable microplastic pollution in nearshore waters specially in Barcelona, and a high spatial and temporal variability. Furthermore, we have found that communication and dissemination are fundamental to the success of a citizen science project. We have designed some tools to reach and keep participants actively engaged and increase project's visibility and project's scientific results and outcomes. Samples obtained and data generated in the project have been deposited following the FAIR principles and can be viewed in the social media (Instagram account @SufringforSciencelab) and in a t-shirt to test non-verbal communication, and can be graphed and mapped (App https://litter.shinyapps.io/surfingforscience/), and downloaded (de Haan et al., 2022 Environ. Res. Lett. 17 045018). However, we still face some limitations and challenges, specially regarding the difficulties in engaging with policy makers and the low access to national research resources for citizen science projects. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/426982/document, In MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano