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Microplastics in ASEAN Freshwater Sediments: A Review of Methodologies, Occurrence Levels and Effects on Aquatic Organisms
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Researchers reviewed 17 studies on microplastic pollution in freshwater sediments across Southeast Asian (ASEAN) countries, finding concentrations ranging from 4 to over 66,000 particles per kilogram, with plastic fibers and polyethylene or polypropylene being the most common types. The review highlights the urgent need for standardized testing methods so that pollution levels across countries can be meaningfully compared and monitored.
The presence of microplastics is a growing concern because of their ubiquity, persistence, ability to transmit environmental pollutants, and potential for bioaccumulation through food chains.Although ASEAN countries contribute significantly to the generation of marine litter globally, there has been limited research on microplastics in freshwater environments.This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the existing state of knowledge regarding methodologies, occurrence levels, and the effects of microplastics on freshwater ecosystems in ASEAN countries.Our review focuses specifically on sediment matrices due to their long-term sink for microplastic pollution, with accumulation in sediment posing a risk to aquatic organisms and human health.Based on publications from 2018 to April 2022, 17 studies were examined.Sediment samples collected from rivers and aquaculture ponds revealed a range of microplastics concentrations between 4 and 66016 particles per kilogram.A comparative analysis was difficult because each study used non-standardised procedures and measurement units.Fibres are consistently found to be the most common shape, with black or blue microplastics being the most common colour across countries.Polyethylene or polypropylene was identified as the most common polymer type in the microplastic samples.The levels of microplastic in freshwater ecosystems have been linked to land use activities such as fishing, tourism, aquaculture, domestic wastewater, and industries.The high accumulation of microplastics in freshwater has been linked to the ingestion by fish species and gastropods.Future research should seek to standardise microplastic collection, extraction, and quality control methodologies to effectively quantify and assess the amounts of microplastic pollution for monitoring purposes, allowing for more comprehensive comparisons and evaluation for risk assessments.
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Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in rivers across Southeast Asia, a region with high plastic waste discharge but limited monitoring data, documenting the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in these understudied waterways.
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This review systematically compared the methods used across 34 studies to sample, extract, and identify microplastics in freshwater sediments throughout India, finding no studies addressing the issue in Sri Lanka. Researchers highlighted significant inconsistencies in sampling techniques, extraction procedures, and identification methods across studies, making it difficult to compare results. The study calls for standardized protocols to enable more reliable tracking of microplastic pollution in freshwater sediments across the Indo-Sri Lankan region.
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