Current State of Microplastics Research …
51
5 Maldives
Saliu et al. [103] studied the distribution of microplastic particles on beach sediments
and surface water samples along the coral reef environment at Faafu Atoll, Maldives.
They conducted a study on two different environments: (i) inner reef which is
exposed to land-based inputs, and (ii) low-hydrodynamic conditions compared to the
outer reef part. The variations were positively correlated with the microplastic abundance observed in the inner reef (0.31 particles/m
3 ) and outer reef 0.02 particles/m
3 .
However, long-distance transport of debris from the southern Indian Ocean [32] to
the Maldives sea water [109] is also another reason cited as majority of the plastic
particles collected showed severe degradation pattern suggesting long-distance travel
before reaching the atoll. They also observed distribution of charred microplastics
mainly due to the burning of plastic waste along shore lines. In another study, Saliu
et al. [104] investigated the presence of phthalic acid esters (PAE)—a potent priority
pollutant, causing adverse effects on the marine organisms [85, 86]. They identified a
significant presence of PAE in scleractinian corals. Higher concentration of Mps was
observed in the inner reef as stated in the previous study by Saliu et al. [103]. Imhoff
et al. [47] investigated the plastic waste contamination along the shoreline sediments
of Vavvaru, a remote coral island in Maldives. They estimated the long-term and daily
abundance of plastic wastes along the shoreline. Their study pointed out the importance of concentrating more on the drifting plastics on ocean bodies as they found a
significant daily abundance (35.8 ± 42.5 plastic particles/m2) of microplastics in the
remote island like Vavvaru. They also observed high long-term accumulation (1029
± 1134 plastic particles/m2) of microplastics in the similar environment suggesting
the global distribution of microplastics from ocean gyres or neighbouring islands with
higher population density. The shape and pattern of the plastics and plastic pellets
presence suggested the long-term drifting of plastics through water bodies. Another
study done by Patti et al. [90] investigated the sediment samples along Naifaru island
in Maldives and estimated one of the highest densities of microplastics compared
with the other observations worldwide. They observed around 55–1127.5 microplastics/kg. They suggested that the large-scale land reclamation happening along the
coastal lines of Maldives influences the deposition of microplastics in the sediment
samples from the marine depositional zones. This study also shows the long range
transport of microplastics through marine environment.
6 Bangladesh
Microplastic pollution study in Bangladesh is still in the nascent stage. A study report
(ESDO, 2016) by Environment and Social Development organization in 2015 was
first of a kind dealing with microplastic pollution. Their study revealed the release of
around 8000 million microbeads every month from cosmetics and cleaning products
51
5 Maldives
Saliu et al. [103] studied the distribution of microplastic particles on beach sediments
and surface water samples along the coral reef environment at Faafu Atoll, Maldives.
They conducted a study on two different environments: (i) inner reef which is
exposed to land-based inputs, and (ii) low-hydrodynamic conditions compared to the
outer reef part. The variations were positively correlated with the microplastic abundance observed in the inner reef (0.31 particles/m
3 ) and outer reef 0.02 particles/m
3 .
However, long-distance transport of debris from the southern Indian Ocean [32] to
the Maldives sea water [109] is also another reason cited as majority of the plastic
particles collected showed severe degradation pattern suggesting long-distance travel
before reaching the atoll. They also observed distribution of charred microplastics
mainly due to the burning of plastic waste along shore lines. In another study, Saliu
et al. [104] investigated the presence of phthalic acid esters (PAE)—a potent priority
pollutant, causing adverse effects on the marine organisms [85, 86]. They identified a
significant presence of PAE in scleractinian corals. Higher concentration of Mps was
observed in the inner reef as stated in the previous study by Saliu et al. [103]. Imhoff
et al. [47] investigated the plastic waste contamination along the shoreline sediments
of Vavvaru, a remote coral island in Maldives. They estimated the long-term and daily
abundance of plastic wastes along the shoreline. Their study pointed out the importance of concentrating more on the drifting plastics on ocean bodies as they found a
significant daily abundance (35.8 ± 42.5 plastic particles/m2) of microplastics in the
remote island like Vavvaru. They also observed high long-term accumulation (1029
± 1134 plastic particles/m2) of microplastics in the similar environment suggesting
the global distribution of microplastics from ocean gyres or neighbouring islands with
higher population density. The shape and pattern of the plastics and plastic pellets
presence suggested the long-term drifting of plastics through water bodies. Another
study done by Patti et al. [90] investigated the sediment samples along Naifaru island
in Maldives and estimated one of the highest densities of microplastics compared
with the other observations worldwide. They observed around 55–1127.5 microplastics/kg. They suggested that the large-scale land reclamation happening along the
coastal lines of Maldives influences the deposition of microplastics in the sediment
samples from the marine depositional zones. This study also shows the long range
transport of microplastics through marine environment.
6 Bangladesh
Microplastic pollution study in Bangladesh is still in the nascent stage. A study report
(ESDO, 2016) by Environment and Social Development organization in 2015 was
first of a kind dealing with microplastic pollution. Their study revealed the release of
around 8000 million microbeads every month from cosmetics and cleaning products