The 350 teams that undertook to clean the river collected a total of 17.5 tons of PET bottles on the Tisza and Bodrog. The amount of PET bottles collected from the two rivers is an all-time record, the daily record was 3.6 tons of plastic bottles.
The teams and volunteers collected the same amount of waste on the Bodrogi section as in 2023, more than 11 tons, but the Tisza section – the flood plain between Tokaj and Tiszalök – also hid huge pet mines.
The specialists of the research laboratory, which has been operating for thirty years, obtained a surprising result, who took samples in August on the Olaszliszka section of the Bodrog.
Compared to the surface waters tested so far, we found an order of magnitude more microplastics in Bodrog, an average of 214.8 particles per cubic meter
he said Gábor Bordós, head of the Microplastics Testing Laboratory of Eurofins Analytical Services Hungary Kft.
Carcinogenic substance above limit value
A laboratorium.hu-n published data shows that such a high concentration of microplastics has not typically been found in domestic surface waters, and unfortunately they also found the compound bisphenol-A.
According to the staff of Eurofins, this is one of the notorious eternal substances, which disrupts the hormonal balance and is carcinogenic, but also causes damage to the nervous system
he said Zoltán Palotai, head of the Environmental Protection Department of Eurofins Analytical Services Hungary Kft.
The vast majority of microplastics, about 80 percent, are polyethylene, while about 10 percent are polypropylene, these two compounds are used most often in the production of plastics. Gábor Bordós emphasized that this study is based on a one-time sampling, and more comprehensive studies will be needed to draw far-reaching conclusions.
The EQS regulation, developed due to the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystems, stipulates that the compound may not exceed 130 micrograms/liter, and the annual average level of bisphenol-A may not reach 0.000034 micrograms/liter.
The currently measured value of 0.07 micrograms/liter is much higher than the limit value, but in order for this to be properly compared to the stricter limit value, a much longer-term data series would be needed
– said the specialists.
Lakes and rivers have also been covered by microplastics
Previous domestic tests by Eurofins also proved that our largest domestic rivers, the Danube and the Tisza, as well as Lake Balaton, are not free of microplastics, and indeed, similar to international measurements, the presence of tiny plastics has been detected in these waters on numerous occasions.
The vast majority of microplastics, about 80 percent, are polyethylene and about 10 percent polypropylene, these two compounds are used most often in the production of plastics, so the pollution that enters the river faithfully reflects the industrial and commercial use of plastics.
The composition of the remaining ten percent is quite mixed, but polyester terephthalate, which is also used as a raw material for PET bottles, was detectable, from which it can also be concluded that the fragmentation of PET bottles and other PET products already begins in the water, or that these particles may already they entered the river in the form of microplastics.
They also found polystyrene, acrylic, presumably from paint production, and cellulose acetate particles created by shredding cigarette butts, and the well-known PVC was not missing from the cocktail either.
Gábor Bordós emphasized that this test was based on a single sampling, the laboratory measurement was carried out with an FTIR microscope after sampling more than two thousand liters of water. The result provides an important snapshot of the river, but more comprehensive investigations will be needed to draw more far-reaching conclusions.
In line with the EU Drinking Water Directive, from 2026 the Hungarian legal system will also regulate the presence of bisphenol-A in drinking water, with a limit value of 2.5 micrograms/liter. As for surface waters, the EQS regulation (2008/105/EC) stipulates that the infamous compound cannot exceed 130 micrograms/liter in any case due to the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystems. Fortunately, this was not the case during the present measurement either.
Unfortunately, Eurofins’ measurements provide disturbing results and support the objectives of the PET Cup, the protection of nature and the environment, the cleaning of our domestic rivers, and the significant reduction of their plastic content.
Source: www.economx.hu
