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Kuakata beach, known as Daughter of Sea in Bangladesh, has drawn a growing number of tourists from all over the world, leading to the higher use of single plastic products. This study was a first attempt to describe the occurrence, spatial distribution, and ecological risk of microplastics (MPs) in Kuakata beach sediments. A total of 24 surface sediment samples were collected from the intertidal zone of the beach, and MPs were extracted using the density separation method and a stereomicroscope. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used for qualitative and quantitative identification. The results revealed that the average MPs in the beach sediment were 232 ± 52 items kg–1 dry weight, which was much higher than many other sandy beaches throughout the world. Analyses of variance showed a significant (p < 0.01) difference among the mean abundance of MPs in sampling points. Fibers were dominated in every sampling point with an average of 123 ± 27 item kg–1. Most of the MPs observed were colored (60%), and the rest were transparent (40%). It was found that the size range of 1–5 mm MPs constituted over half (55%) of total MPs covering an average value of 127 ± 34 items kg–1. Three polymer types were identified in the sediment samples through FTIR analysis which followed the decreasing order of polyethylene terephthalate > polyethylene > polypropylene. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between the abundance of MPs and the finer grain size of sediment (p = 0.055; r = 0.7), indicating grain size-controlled the density of MPs. The pollution load index was assessed to estimate the ecological risk and found that the beach sediment of Kuakata belonged to the risk category I of the pollution index. This investigation provided preliminary information on MPs pollution in the marine ecosystem that the policymakers can use to take appropriate management approaches.

Microplastics (MPs) have become pervasive in the environment, posing a threat to the environment, living organisms, and human health. Therefore, MPs have been extensively investigated in bodies of water, soils, and the atmosphere. However, there is limited information about MPs contamination in drinking water sold in plastic packaging from underdeveloped countries. In this study, we analyzed water samples from 10 different common brands of bottled water to detect and characterize MPs using stereomicroscopic and FTIR techniques. Oral consumption of MPs per capita was also estimated. Interestingly, our findings demonstrated that MPs were present in every brand. The average abundance of MPs varied from 14 ± 6.8 particles/L to 56 ± 23 particles/L, with a mean of 35 ± 19 particles/L in all brands. This number of MPs in the studied country was comparatively higher than those found in other countries. MPs were found in four different shapes (fibers, fragments, films, and beads), with fibers dominating the samples (90%). MPs were sorted into eight different colors, with the transparent one accounting for about 66% of the overall count, and 94% of the MPs were <0.5 mm in size. Infrared spectral analysis (FTIR) confirmed four types of polymers, e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) where LDPE and HDPE were dominant. The estimated daily intake of MPs per person was determined to be 2.63 particles, translating to a yearly intake of 960 particles/person. MPs in bottled drinking water might come from the sources of the raw water and the materials used in the packaging, which warrants additional research. As MPs in drinking water have direct exposure to human health, we should be aware of using plastic packaging for drinking water.

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