Current State of Microplastics Research …
33
Table 2
A summary of the research work carried out on microplastics in different environmental settings of India
Sl. no Location
Type of
sample
Environmental
setting
Methodology adopted
Size range (mm)
Average microplastics
concentration
Polymer types
Reporting units
References
1
Gujarat
Sediments
Marine
Olympus microscope,
FTIR, Scanning electron
microscope
Small plastic
fragments
81 mg kg −1
PU, NY, PS, Glass wool mg kg −1
[96]
2
Mumbai
Sediments
Beach
Handpicked
<5 mm, 6–20 mm,
21–100 mm
11.67
± 8.83 items/m 2
by items
3.24
± 0.92 g/m 2
by
weight
–
Items/m 2
g/m 2
[54]
3
Mumbai
Sediments
Beach
Handpicked
1–5 mm
–
–
–
[55]
4
Chennai
Sediments
Coastal
NIKON Stereoscopic
microscope SMZ1500
coupled with a digital
camera; ATR-FTIR
2–5 mm
1200 pieces
PE, PP
No. of pieces
[127]
5
Goa
Sediments
Beach
Stereoscope microscope,
ATR-FTIR
<5 mm
3000 pieces
PE, PP
No. of pieces
[128]
6
Chennai and
Thinnakkara
island
Sediments
Beach
NIKON Stereoscopic
microscope
<5 mm
Chennai: 201
Thinnakkara: 603
–
No. of particles
[79]
7
Kerala
Sediments
Lake
Compound microscope,
microRaman spectroscopy
<5 mm
252.8 particles/m2
HDPE, LDPE
PP, PS
Particles/m 2
[118]
8
Southeast
coast of
India
Sediments
Fish
Beach Marine Stereomicroscope,
ATR-FTIR
Mps: 0.3–4.75 mm
Mesoplasti-cs:
4.75–9.5 mm
46.6
± 37.2/m
210.1% of the 79 fishes
representing 5 species.
PE, PP, PS, PE,
Particles/m 2
[60]
9
Gulf of
Mannar
Marine
debris
Marine
Leica binocular
stereozoom microscope,
ATR-FTIR
–
less dominated by
microplastics
PE, PVC, PS, Nylon
–
[67]
10
Kerala
Benthic
invertebrates
from coastal
waters
Coastal
DXR Raman Microscope.
Epifluorescent Microscopy
–
–
PS
–
[81]
(continued)