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Microplastics in the shore sediment of the freshwater sources of the Indian Himalaya
Summary
Microplastics were detected for the first time in shore sediments from high-altitude freshwater sources of the Indian Himalaya, including major river headwaters and remote mountain lakes. The study found microplastics even in the most remote sites, indicating that atmospheric deposition carries plastics to these pristine high-altitude environments. The contamination of Himalayan river sources is significant given their importance as freshwater supplies for hundreds of millions of people downstream.
For the first time, microplastics were assessed in the shore sediment of the high-altitude freshwater source of the Indian Himalaya, including the Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, Pangong Lake, Tsomoriri Lake, and Tsokar Lake. The field campaigns were conducted in the years 2018-2019. The objectives of the study are, first, to investigate the microplastic pollution in the shore sediments of the studied rivers and lakes. Secondly, to explore the variation of the microplastic concentration in the subsamples from the same site using different pretreatment methods. Thirdly, to assess the implication of the blank correction on the microplastic concentration. The chemical pretreatment, including hydrogen peroxide, Fenton, and modified universal enzymatically purification protocol (UEPP), was conducted for the sample pretreatment. The microplastics analysis was performed with micro-FTIR and Raman imaging microscope. According to our study, microplastics were detected in all the studied sites. The concentration of microplastics increases with a decrease in size. Variations of microplastic concentrations in subsamples from same site were detected in all lake sample when pretreated differently. Therefore, the intercomparison among microplastics even in the similar matrix, should be conducted with caution. Samples having initial low microplastic concentrations were significantly impacted with the blank correction based on the LOD and LOQ on the basis of contamination in the procedure blanks. Therefore, reporting both microplastic concentrations with and without blank correction is recommended. Furthermore, improper disposal of plastic waste could be the key source of microplastics in the studied sites. Nevertheless, future research on remote high-altitude sites requires in-depth microplastics studies, particularly with multiple sampling campaigns including water and sediment, impacts of wind and precipitation on the microplastic transportation and airborne microplastics. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/426303/document