Microplastic pollution in fragile coastal ecosystems with special reference to the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster, southeast coast of India

Karthik, R.; Robin, R.S.; Karthikeyan, Velmurugan; Subbareddy, B.; Sundaramanickam, Arumugam; Hariharan, G.; Ganguly, Dipnarayan; Samuel, V. Deepak; Jinoj, T.P.S.; Ramachandran, Ramesh

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119297

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 121 publications

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“…Spilled plastics were collected in liter-sized bags from Pamunugama Beach, Sri Lanka, on May 25, 2021 (Figure S1), one of the closest shorelines to the ship. Based on simulated trajectories for the spilled plastic, the material transited from the ship to Pamunugama Beach in less than 5 days. , Additional spilled plastic was collected from Pamunugama Beach in May 2021 and on June 11, 2021 (22 days after the spill). Several months after the spill, stray plastic related and unrelated (i.e., different colors and shapes) was collected from Sarakkuwa Beach, Sri Lanka, on January 17, 2022 (242 days after the spill) (Figure S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

et al. 2023

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In May 2021, the M/V X-Press Pearl container ship burned for 2 weeks, leading to the largest maritime spill of resin pellets (nurdles). The disaster was exacerbated by the leakage of other cargo and the ship's underway fuel. This disaster affords the unique opportunity to study a time-stamped, geolocated release of plastic under real-world conditions. Field samples collected from beaches in Sri Lanka nearest to the ship comprised nurdles exposed to heat and combustion, burnt plastic pieces (pyroplastic), and oil-plastic agglomerates (petroplastic). An unresolved question is whether the 1600+ tons of spilled and recovered plastic should be considered hazardous waste. Due to the known formation and toxicity of combustion-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), we measured 20 parent and 21 alkylated PAHs associated with several types of spilled plastic. The maximum PAH content of the sampled pyroplastic had the greatest amount of PAHs recorded for marine plastic debris (199,000 ng/g). In contrast, the sampled unburnt white nurdles had two orders of magnitude less PAH content. The PAH composition varied between the types of spilled plastic and presented features typical of and conflicting with petrogenic and pyrogenic sources. Nevertheless, specific markers and compositional changes for burning plastics were identified, revealing that the fire was the main source of PAHs. Eight months after the spill, the PAH contents of sampled stray nurdles and pyroplastic were reduced by more than 50%. Due to their PAH content exceeding levels allowable for plastic consumer goods, classifying burnt plastic as hazardous waste may be warranted. Following a largely successful cleanup, we recommend that the Sri Lankans re-evaluate the identification, handling, and disposal of the plastic debris collected from beaches and the potential exposure of responders and the public to PAHs from handling it. The maritime disaster underscores pyroplastic as a type of plastic pollution that has yet to be fully explored, despite the pervasiveness of intentional and unintentional burning of plastic globally.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

et al. 2023

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“…The results, however, compare positively with results from the coast of Kerala of 2020 [158] and from the coast of Australia from 2021 [198], where 31.4% and 35.5% of the sampled fish were found to have ingested MP, respectively. Fibers (48%) predominated, followed by fragments (35%), foams (9%) and films (8%) [194]. In April 2019, Selvam et al [186] found a much higher MP concentration in five species of fish from the Gulf of Mannar.…”

Section: Microplastic Abundance In Fish Species In the Indian Oceanmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In these five fish species, especially PP and PE microplastics were found [184]. Also, from the Eastern shorelines of the Indian subcontinent a larger number of studies on MP contamination in fish are available, especially from the Southeast coast of India species of them being carnivores such as groupers, hinds, and mackerels, along Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar coast, South India [194]. The authors found MP in 19.2% of the fish, albeit in low numbers per specimen, averaging 0.19 ± 1.3 MP per specimen over all fish species that were analyzed [194].…”

Section: Microplastic Abundance In Fish Species In the Indian Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, from the Eastern shorelines of the Indian subcontinent a larger number of studies on MP contamination in fish are available, especially from the Southeast coast of India species of them being carnivores such as groupers, hinds, and mackerels, along Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar coast, South India [194]. The authors found MP in 19.2% of the fish, albeit in low numbers per specimen, averaging 0.19 ± 1.3 MP per specimen over all fish species that were analyzed [194]. The study carried out in the summer of 2021 can be compared with a similar study reported 2018 from the same area [112], where 10.1% of the fish were found to T. Thiemann [119] carry MP.…”

Section: Microplastic Abundance In Fish Species In the Indian Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microplastic in the Marine Environment of the Indian Ocean

Thiemann¹

2023

JEP

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Microplastic has been found in all major waterbodies in the world. Many examples of ingestion of microplastic by marine organisms have been reported. This presence of microplastic in marine organisms gives it the possibility to penetrate the human food chain by increasing the chance of microplastic in seafood targeted for human consumption. Although it is known that parts of the Indian Ocean suffer from significant plastic pollution, much of the systematic research on the microplastic abundance in different regions of the Indian Ocean stems only from the last five years. This manuscript reviews the available literature of 2015-2022 on the presence of microplastics in commercially important fish species in the Indian Ocean. The literature data on microplastic content on beaches, in subtidal sediment, in the sediment from the ocean floor, and in surface water of different regions of the Indian Ocean is reviewed, also.

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“…Once released, MP can accumulate in multiple ways, such as forming sediment or being ingested by organisms [38]. These tiny pieces of plastic pose an immense environmental and economic threat to coastal and marine ecosystems around the world [39]. Biofilms use MP as an artificial adhesion surface, thus potentially changing certain properties of the MP.…”

Section: Microplastic Pollution Typical Life Cycle Of Plastics and Fatementioning

confidence: 99%

Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

M.M.J.G.C.N. Jayasiri,

Pradeep Gajanayake,

Sajani H. Kolambage

et al. 2024

Adv. Technol.

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The emergence of microplastics (MP) as a pollutant in natural environments including aquatics has been increasingly recognized worldwide. This review focuses on the status of MP pollution research in Sri Lanka, and MP risk mitigation solutions, as lessons from a global MP policy context. The methodology involves a comprehensive literature review divided into three main sections: 1) a simple understanding of the plastic cycle and risk factors,2) a comprehensive review of MP pollution research trends in Sri Lanka, 3) a comprehension of global trends of MP regulation policies and adaptable solutions for national scale. There was less attention given to MP research in Sri Lanka, until the recent X-Press Pearl disastrous incident. In addition to that, we highlight the less attention paid to MP pollution in inland waters and lands compared to marine. Considering the widespread MP issue, the paper highlights the importance of a policy approach for MP pollution control. Finally, the paper discusses the future directions for MP pollution research in Sri Lanka and emphasizes the need for more detailed quantitative data for effective policy formulation. The overall study presents a sound case for understanding a national context in MP pollution and suggesting necessary policy instruments in pollution regulation.

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Microplastic pollution in fragile coastal ecosystems with special reference to the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster, southeast coast of India

Cited by 23 publications

References 121 publications

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

Microplastic in the Marine Environment of the Indian Ocean

Present Status of Microplastic Pollution Research Data in Sri Lanka and Microplastic Risk Mitigation Solutions; Lessons from a Global Policy Context

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