Preliminary Study on the Distribution, Source, and Ecological Risk of Typical Microplastics in Karst Groundwater in Guizhou Province, China

Xianjin An (), Wei Li, Jiacheng Lan and Muhammad Adnan
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Xianjin An: School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
Wei Li: College of Biology and Environmental Engineering, Guiyang University, Guiyang 550005, China
Jiacheng Lan: School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
Muhammad Adnan: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: Karst groundwater is one of the important drinking water sources in karst areas, and it has an important role in maintaining the regional ecosystem and human health. The study of microplastics (MPs) in karst groundwater has rarely been reported, and the occurrence and migration behavior of MPs under the unique environmental conditions of karst is unclear. This study selected cave groundwater and common MPs in karst areas to explore the occurrence characteristics of MPs in groundwater to clarify the factors affecting the distribution and migration of MPs. The results showed that the abundance of MPs in karst groundwater was between 2.33 and 9.50 items·L −1 , with an average abundance of 4.50 items·L −1 . The microplastic size, type, color, and chemical composition were primarily 1~5 mm, film and fiber, color and transparent, and PS and PE, respectively. The risk characterization ratio ( RCR ) index results indicated that 80% of the samples were at a low ecological risk level, whereas 60% of the sampling points after concentrated rainfall in June were a medium ecological risk. The study showed that rainfall events significantly changed the abundance and migration of MPs in karst groundwater. The Pearson analysis showed a positive correlation between microplastic distribution and suspended particles (SP), total organic carbon (TOC), and water velocity (WV) in water. The study indicated that strong soil erosion in karst areas may also be one of the main sources of MPs in karst groundwater, and that karst groundwater microplastic pollution is an environmental problem that should not be ignored.

Keywords: karst; groundwater; microplastics; distributions; risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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