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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Food & Water
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Microplastics in Salt of Tuticorin, Southeast Coast of India
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology2020
114 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Narmatha Sathish
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Narmatha Sathish
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Narmatha Sathish
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Narmatha Sathish
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Jamila Patterson,
Jamila Patterson,
Narmatha Sathish
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
K. Immaculate Jeyasanta,
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Jamila Patterson,
Narmatha Sathish
Narmatha Sathish
Summary
Researchers extracted and characterized microplastics from 14 brands of food-grade sea salts and bore-well salts from Tuticorin, India, finding contamination in both salt types with fibers and fragments as dominant forms and polyethylene as the most common polymer.
Microplastics (< 5 mm) are considered to be global environmental pollutants. This study investigates the occurrence, physical properties, polymer composition and surface morphology, and element composition of MPs present in food-grade salts produced from seawater and bore-well water in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, Southeast coast of India. Fourteen different brands of sea salts and bore-well salts were collected from the salt manufacturing units. The mean abundance of microplastics was 35 ± 15 to 72 ± 40 items/kg in sea salt and 2 ± 1 to 29 ± 11 items/kg in bore-well salt. Four types of polymers viz. polyethylene (51.6%), polypropylene (25%), polyester (21.8%), and polyamide (1.6%) were found in salt. Polyethylene fibers of size ranging from 100 to 500 µm were observed commonly. Being manufactured from seawater, sea salt had the highest quantities of different microplastic particles. The study reveals that people consume approximately 216 particles of MPs per year via sea salt and 48 items per year via bore-well salt if the average person has a daily salt intake of 5 g. The surface morphology of MPs as exhibited in the SEM-EDAX images obtained in the study revealed the different weathering features of MPs, such as pits, cracks, and particles adhering to the surface. The presence of the elements Fe, As, and Ni on the surfaces as identified by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy indicates that these elements exist in the environment as contaminants and have become associated with the MPs. The trace metals adsorbed onto MPs increase the risks of human exposure and may cause some adverse effects in humans.