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Characterization of microplastics and its pollution load index in freshwater Kumaraswamy Lake of Coimbatore, India
Summary
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in Kumaraswamy Lake in India across four seasons and found plastic particles at every sampling point. The most common types were polyethylene and polypropylene, with concentrations varying by season and location within the lake. This study provides baseline pollution data for a freshwater lake that serves local communities, highlighting how widespread microplastic contamination has become.
Microplastics are less than 5 mm in diameter that enters the ecosystem through the breakdown of large plastic particles or climate and human activity. This study examined the geographical and seasonal distribution of microplastics in the surface water of Kumaraswamy Lake, Coimbatore. During seasons, including summer, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon, samples were collected from the lake's inlet, centre, and outlet. All sampling points contained linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene microplastics. Water samples contained fibre, thin, fragment, and film microplastics in black, pink, blue, white, transparent, and yellow colours. Lake's microplastic pollution load index was under 10, indicating risk I. Over four seasons, microplastic content was 8.77 ± 0.27 particles per litre. The monsoon season had the highest microplastic concentration, followed by pre-monsoon, post-monsoon, and summer. These findings imply that the spatial and seasonal distribution of microplastics may be harmful to the fauna and flora of the lake.