Rethinking the Environmental Quality of Brazilian Beaches: The Incidence of Microplastics as Indicator for Sea Water and Sand Quality

Abstract

Beaches are essential, multidimensional, and dynamic systems of unique importance from social, ecological, and economic points of view. Despite their immense value, the quality of Earth’s beaches is being threatened by marine pollution, mostly composed of plastic debris. Specifically, microplastics are a threatening global phenomenon because of their diffusive character. In short, this implies severe potential adverse effects on human health. Therefore, a complete assessment of beaches’ environmental quality, including their suitability for swimming, is crucial. However, the main concern