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Assessment of microplastics as contaminants in a coal mining region
Summary
Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in soil, water, and coal in the Barapukuria coal mining region of Bangladesh, one of the first such studies in an industrial zone there. Microplastics were detected across all sample types, with higher concentrations near areas of intensive human activity.
Pollution generated by microplastics (MPs) has become an issue of global concern because to its severe effects on the general health of the ecosystem, especially the health of the terrestrial environment. There is a scarcity of data based on MP contamination research in Bangladesh that is currently available, and no work on MP contamination has previously been done in an industrial region of Bangladesh. As a result, this research was undertaken with the aim of determining whether or not MP contamination is present in the industrial area of the Barapukuria region in Bangladesh. The method of sieving and density separation was used in the process of extracting MPs from a total of 12 soil samples that were collected from the industrial area of Barapukuria. A stereomicroscope was utilized to accomplish the visual identification of the MPs. The method of sieving and density separation was used in the process of extracting MPs from 12 soil samples that were gathered from the industrial area of Barapukuria. A stereomicroscope was utilized in order to accomplish the visual identification of the MPs. The concentration of MPs accounted for 1-15 items/100g (Mean: 6.75 ± 5.3) in the 12 sampled regions, mostly white in color and ranging in size from 0.5-1 mm. Fibers have been found to be the most prevalent among the detected MPs (films, fiber, foam, and fragments). 8-types of MPs (Mean: 0.32 ± 0.69) were detected in 5 rural farmland locations, 11 MPs (Mean: 1.1 ± 1.73) in 2 sub-urban farmland sites, 11 MPs (Mean: 2.2 ± 3.19) in 1 urban farmland site, 24 MPs (Mean: 2.4 ± 1.89) in 2 industrial locations, and 27 MPs (Mean: 2.7 ± 3.05) in 2 near metropolitan areas. Based on the land use land cover analysis, higher contamination of MPs have been detected in the industrial and coal mine region of Barapukuria whereas relatively lower amount of MPs have been found in the rural and urban regions.