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Microplastic presence in commercial marine sea salts: A baseline study along Tuticorin Coastal salt pan stations, Gulf of Mannar, South India
Summary
Twenty-five sea salt samples from Tuticorin coastal salt pans in India were analyzed for microplastics, with particles under 100 μm comprising 60% of contaminants and polypropylene and polyethylene as the dominant polymers. The study establishes a baseline for microplastic contamination in commercially harvested sea salt from South India.
The present baseline research infers that the salts present in the sea may contain microplastics (MPs), as the seawater is contaminated due to a number of anthropogenic activities. Herein, 25 types of sea salt samples were collected from salt pans located in the Tuticorin coastal region. The MPs present in the samples were separated and identified by various methods such as handpicking, visual classification, and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FT-IR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The MPs that measured less than 100 μm formed the major part of the salts, accounting to 60% of the MPs among the total pollutants. The MPs that were found in abundance in the sea salts were polypropylene, followed by polyethylene, nylon, and cellulose. This study was conducted in salt pan areas and demarcated the percentage of MPs present in sea salts. Table salt, which is a prime edible commodity, was found to be contaminated with MPs through polluted seawater, which poses a threat to public health.