Microplastic pollution in show cave sediments: First evidence and detection technique

Abstract

Microplastic particles are a global problem, which has been widely found in marine and terrestrial environments. However, microplastic pollution in caves and karst aquifers is still poorly studied. To improve the current knowledge of microplastic pollution, we investigated the sediments of a show cave in Italy. We developed a methodology based on a cave-adapted version of the methods used in several studies to detect microplastics from sediments of different environments and with various laboratory tests. The microplastics were extracted from sediments via density separation and subjected to organic matter removal. Filters were observed with and without UV light under a microscope, before and after organic matter removal, and the microplastics were characterised according to shape, colour, and size, with visual identification. About 55% of the fibres observed under the microscope on filters were removed via organic matter removal. An average of 4390 items/kg dry weight was calculated for the touristic zone and 1600 items/kg dry weight for the speleological/research section. Fibre (84.9%) was the most abundant shape, and most microplastics were smaller than 1 mm, accounting for 85.4%, of which 58.4% were shorter than 0.5 mm. The highest microplastic abundance was fluorescent under UV light (87.7%); however, 12.3% of the microplastics observed on filters were not fluorescent. Most fluorescent fibres were transparent (84%), whereas blue (46.1%) and black (22.4%) fibres were more common for the non-fluorescent ones. Our results highlight the presence of microplastics in show caves, and we provide a valid non-invasive and non-expensive analytical technique for the preparation and isolation of microplastics from cave sediments, giving useful information for evaluating the environmental risks posed by microplastics in show caves.

Keywords: Environmental pollution; Karst system; Microplastic; Plastic contamination; Tourist cave.