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Distribution and characterization of plastic debris pollution along the Poompuhar Beach, Tamil Nadu, Southern India.
Summary
Researchers conducted a beach survey along the Poompuhar coast of India to characterize plastic debris in coastal sediments. They found high densities of plastic fragments, films, and pellets, with the composition reflecting both local fishing activity and consumer waste. The study adds to the growing evidence of widespread plastic contamination on Indian coastlines and highlights the need for targeted beach cleanup and waste management.
The present study was carried out to determine the characteristics, distribution, and abundance of plastic debris in 25 sediment samples collected from the Poompuhar beach, southeast coast of India. The result reveals that the mean plastic debris abundance was 42 ± 27 particles/m dry weight (dw) (1 SD, n = 25) with higher concentrations in the river mouth. The dominant shapes in the study area were fragment (70.7%), followed by fiber (20.7%), and pellet-shaped (8.6%). The dominant colors of the plastic debris were: white-colored (47%) followed by blue (28%) and green (14%). The study further reveals that the dominant polymer type was polyethylene (PE, 63.4%), followed by nylon (PA, 16.9), polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 15.5%), polypropylene (PP, 3.1%), and polystyrene (PS, 1.1%). In the study area, the main source of plastic debris was from land-based fishing and tourism activities, and rainwater runoff from the Cauvery River.