Environmental Sciences Department, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Sulaiman Bin Abdullah Aba Al-Khail-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Science (SA-CIRBS), International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 May;27(13):15083-15092. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-07833-1. Epub 2020 Feb 17.
Microplastic pollution is as an emerging environmental threat. Focus of most of the current researches has been on microplastics in the marine environment. However, there is limited information for microplastic availability in the fresh water, especially in Pakistan. The current study was conducted with the objective of investigating the microplastic presence and concentration in the surface water and sediments of the Rawal Lake, in the capital city of Pakistan. The average microplastic abundance for water and sediments was 0.142 items/0.1 L and 1.04 items/0.01 kg, respectively. Results indicated that the fibers and fragments were the most dominant types of microplastics. The dominant colors were blue, red, black, and transparent. FTIR analysis of visible microplastic particles displayed a greater similarity with polyethylene, polypropylene, polyesters, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride because of the appearance of characteristic peaks of these polymers. The study also revealed greater concentration of microplastics in the sediments as compared with water of the Rawal Lake. High population density surrounding lake, improper waste disposal, tourism, and recreational activities may be the major reasons for the microplastic contamination of the lake.
微塑料污染是一种新出现的环境威胁。目前大多数研究的重点都集中在海洋环境中的微塑料上。然而，有关淡水中微塑料的可用性的信息有限，特别是在巴基斯坦。本研究旨在调查巴基斯坦首都拉瓦尔湖的地表水和沉积物中微塑料的存在和浓度。水和沉积物中的平均微塑料丰度分别为 0.142 个/0.1 L 和 1.04 个/0.01 kg。结果表明，纤维和碎片是最主要的微塑料类型。主要颜色为蓝色、红色、黑色和透明色。可见微塑料颗粒的 FTIR 分析显示，由于这些聚合物的特征峰的出现，与聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚酯、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯和聚氯乙烯具有更大的相似性。该研究还表明，与拉瓦尔湖的水相比，沉积物中的微塑料浓度更高。湖泊周围人口密度高、废物处理不当、旅游业和娱乐活动可能是湖泊微塑料污染的主要原因。
