Plastic dispersion in Northeast Brazil beaches and plastic contaminant detection in Brazilian coast fishing nets

This study investigates the dispersion of floating plastic from Recife-PE harbor using a particle tracking model and examines contaminants in fishing nets collected from Brazilian beaches. Simulations were conducted for both dry and rainy seasons. Fishing nets were collected from eight beaches for analysis. The plastic movement simulation showed particles dispersed 0.41 km southward during the dry season and 177.50 km northward during the rainy season. Most particles (90 %) beached within the first week, indicating localized litter distribution. The study identified 14 pesticide residues in the collected nets, along with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, zinc, and iron, detected via Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The pesticide and metal data were used to calculate the toxicological priority index (ToxPi), showing the sample from Joaquina-SC had the highest toxicity, while the sample from Sancho-PE had the lowest. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed pollution patterns, with potential associations between pesticides and metals. These findings raise concerns about the contaminants' impact on marine organisms and human health, highlighting the importance of understanding plastic pollution dynamics and associated risks. Also, the outcomes emphasize the need to reevaluate environmental regulations to better protect ecosystems and species from harmful pollutants, including plastics.