Groundwater: An Endangered Invisible Resource. Microplastic Pollution in Underground Karst Systems, from Surface Watercourses to Cave Waters

Valentina Balestra; Bartolomeo Vigna; Rossana Bellopede

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-34455-8_13

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Groundwater: An Endangered Invisible Resource. Microplastic Pollution in Underground Karst Systems, from Surface Watercourses to Cave Waters

Springer water 2023

Valentina Balestra, Bartolomeo Vigna, Rossana Bellopede

Summary

This study traced microplastic pollution through underground karst systems, from surface watercourses into cave waters and aquifers, finding that even these concealed environments are contaminated despite being a major global drinking water source. The discovery that microplastics infiltrate karst groundwater suggests that a significant fraction of the world's population consuming groundwater may face previously unrecognized microplastic ingestion exposure.

Study Type Environmental

Microplastic pollution is a global problem, however, in karst systems is still poorly known, especially in underground environments and aquifers, despite groundwater in karst aquifers constitutes about a quarter of the global drinking water sources. To improve the...

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