We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Assessment of microplastics pollution level on clam farming and bathing beaches: a case study of Thanh Phu in Ben Tre, Vietnam
Summary
Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in sand samples from clam farming and bathing beaches at Thanh Phu, Ben Tre, Vietnam, finding higher microplastic concentrations on clam beaches than bathing beaches and attributing the difference to contributions from coastal aquaculture activities. FTIR analysis confirmed that 62.5% of representative suspected particles were genuine plastic, with fibers and low-density polymers predominating.
This study focused on the investigation microplastics (MPs) with a size of ≤1.0 mm in sand samples from Thanh Phu beach, Ben Tre, Vietnam. MPs in sand from the clam beach (from 39.67 ± 6.67 to 92.00 ± 12.93 items kg-1 dried sand) were higher than those from the bathing beach (from 21.33 ± 8.76 to 51.67 ± 16.11 items kg-1 dried sand), indicating a direct contribution of MPs from coastal aquaculture. For the clam beach, MPs in surface samples (0-4 cm) were lower than in deep samples (4-6 cm). In contrast, MPs in surface samples (0-2 cm) from the bathing beach were higher than deep samples (2-5 cm). A combination of microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy methods confirmed that 62.5% of the representative MPs samples or 18.9% of the suspected MPs samples were plastics. Low-density polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate were the largest in abundance. Further studies are needed to assess the environmental risk of MPs accumulation.