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Microplastic Accumulation in Crayfish Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz 1823) and Sediments of Durusu (Terkos) Lake (Turkey)
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Freshwater crayfish in Istanbul's Durusu (Terkos) Lake, a major drinking water reservoir, were found to contain up to 19.67 microplastic pieces per individual in their gills, with polypropylene as the dominant polymer in both crayfish and surrounding sediments. This first-time documentation of microplastic contamination in both the biota and sediment of a Turkish drinking water source signals a dual public health concern: contamination of aquatic food sources and potential migration into water supply systems.
The accumulation and fragmentation of plastics in water sources is one of the important problems of recent times. In this study, it was aimed to determine and characterize the microplastic accumulation in the sediment and in the stomach and gills of the freshwater crayfish Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz 1823) in Durusu (Terkos) Lake, which is one of the most important water resources of Istanbul and even the Marmara Region. Thus, the microplastic contamination of both the lake sediment and crayfish was revealed for the first time in Turkey, and insight was given into the transmission of this contamination to the biota. The microplastic amount of the sediment samples was found as 32.26–396.71 pieces.kg−1 dry sediment. The microplastic amount was determined as 0.89–15.67 pieces.ind−1 in stomach content and 0.5–19.67 pieces.ind−1 in the gills of the crayfish. The predominant microplastic types were found as fragments in the sediment samples, fibers in the gill, and stomach content. As a result of the analysis, the main polymers identified in crayfish samples were polypropylene (78%) and followed by polyphenylene sulfide (11%) and polyethylene (11%); in sediment samples, polypropylene (47%) and followed by polyvinyl alcohol (20%), polyethylene (20%), and polyamide (13%). Activities carried out in the coastal area pollute the lake, and it is necessary to control the anthropogenic and fisheries-related pollution in the lake.
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