Risk assessments of microplastics accumulated in estuarine sediments at Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, southeast coast of India

In this study, the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in the Uppanar and Gadilam estuaries in Cuddalore, on the southeast coast of India, is reported. In the estuarine sediments, MP abundance ranged from 36.3 ± 3.39 to 51.6 ± 2.05 particles/Kg dw. Different types of MP shapes, such as fibers (41.7–47....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental monitoring and assessment 2023-07, Vol.195 (7), p.890-890, Article 890
Main Authors: Nithin, Ajith, Sundaramanickam, Arumugam, Saha, Mahua, Hassanshahian, Mehdi, Thangaraj, Muthusamy, Rathore, Chayanika
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Aquatic environment
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Brackishwater environment
coasts
Contamination
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Management
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental science
Estuaries
Estuarine sediments
Fishing
Geologic Sediments
Household wastes
India
Microplastics
Monitoring/Environmental Analysis
Plastic pollution
Plastics
Pollution
Polymers
risk
Risk Assessment
Sediment
Sediments
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
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Summary:In this study, the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in the Uppanar and Gadilam estuaries in Cuddalore, on the southeast coast of India, is reported. In the estuarine sediments, MP abundance ranged from 36.3 ± 3.39 to 51.6 ± 2.05 particles/Kg dw. Different types of MP shapes, such as fibers (41.7–47.9%), films (21.2–27.2%), and fragments (18.3–25.5%) were observed in the size range of 100–1000 µm. Diverse colours of MPs were observed, among which red (30.1–34.5%) was predominantly noticed in the estuarine sediments. Six polymers were identified by µ-FTIR, among which LDPE (39%) and PP (35%) were dominant. MPs pollution in these estuaries is composed of domestic, industrial, and fishing wastes. Risk assessments show that the area falls under hazard categories I to III, indicating low to high risk. This study improves knowledge on MPs contamination in Uppanar and Gadilam estuaries and provides impetus for further research to identify the actual sources and impacts of MPs on aquatic systems along the east coast of India.
ISSN:0167-6369
1573-2959
DOI:10.1007/s10661-023-11434-z