Microplastics in the surface water of urban lakes in central Vietnam: Pollution level, characteristics, and ecological risk assessment

Abstract

Information on microplastic pollution in lentic systems is scarce in many Asian countries, including Vietnam. This study investigated the status and characteristics of microplastic pollution in seven urban lakes in Da Nang City, Vietnam. The two surveys were conducted during the dry and wet seasons. The results showed that microplastic concentrations in the surface waters ranged from 293.3 ± 23.1–6510.0 ± 380.4 and 366.7 ± 23.1–1143.3 ± 110.2 items m−3 during the dry and wet seasons, respectively, which is considered a moderate microplastic abundance level in lakes globally. The predominance of fibers is a remarkable microplastics feature in all the surveyed lakes, in which most items were primarily polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and <2000 μm in length. The ecological risk assessment based on the pollution load index (PLI) and the potential ecological risk index (PERI) demonstrated that excepting the Ham Nghi Lake which approached a high risk level during the dry season, the risk level of most surveyed lakes in both seasons remained minor. However, their widespread distribution in lake environments remains a concern, requiring appropriate control measures.