Characterization and distribution of microplastics in the commercial fishes along the coast of Chennai

Abstract

The emerging major pollutants, microplastics (<5 mm) are being observed ubiquitously in almost all environments. Owing to food safety, the contamination of microplastics in economically important species is gaining attention. This study focuses on the presence of microplastics with an average concentration in Sphyraena jello (11 MPs/individual), Nemipterus japonicus (1.7 MPs/individual), Leiognathus sp., (5.3 MPs/individual), and Sardinella longiceps (3.2 MPs/individual) collected from the coasts of Chennai, India, with different feeding habits and habitats.. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of four different species of fishes (n = 160; 40 numbers in each species) from coastal regions is analysed. A total of 607 microplastic particles were found in the GIT, with a mean range of 1.7–11 particles per individual. Among the various forms and colours of microplastic fibres (62.26 %), blue (42.92 %) was dominant. The size fraction of microplastics observed ranged from less than 0.1 mm to 5 mm and about 67.22 % of polymers observed were of polyethylene and polypropylene. The study enables the estimation of the abundance of microplastics of a particular size with high incidence percentage. The ability to forecast environmentally major quantities of microplastics, especially for smaller microplastics, empowers researchers to establish realistic exposure scenarios in forthcoming toxicity investigations. The preliminary research focuses on need to study the abundance of microplastics for the implementation of legislation to stop plastic pollution and the awareness about the impact on the environment and on human health.