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 HIGHLIGHTS • 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. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT abstract article info Article history: Received 31 August 2018 Received in revised form 20 October 2018 Accepted 4 November 2018 Available online 06 November 2018 Editor: Damia Barcelo Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic environments. The abundance, distribution and characteristics (color, morphology, texture) of MPs from Atoyac River basin, a highly urbanized river system located in Central Mexico were investigated in this study. The sediment samples were collected from 29 different sites along the Atoyac River basin in four different zones: Zahuapan River, Atoyac River, Confluence zone and Valsequillo dam and processed for MPs extraction using ZnCl 2 density separation method. The total number of 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 is higher in the downstream section of the river (confluence zone: 833.33 ± 80.79 & Valsequillo dam: 900 ± 346.12 items kg -1 ), revealing significant impacts of dense population and industrial complex of Puebla City. Col- ored MPs were predominant accounting for 51% and white MPs for 49% of the total MPs. Films (25.9%) and frag- ments (22.2%) were the most abundant type followed by fibers (14.8%). Scanning electron microscope images revealed varying disintegration features and energy-dispersive X-ray spectra demonstrated the presence of dif- ferent metal elements on the surface of MPs. The results highlighted the widespread distribution of MPs in the sediments of Atoyac River basin, Mexico. © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Microplastics Emerging contaminant SEM/EDX Sediments Atoyac River basin Mexico Science of the Total Environment 654 (2019) 154–163 ⁎ 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. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv