Marine litter along the shores of the Persian Gulf, Iran
Zahra Jokar,
Nafiseh Banavi,
Sara Taghizadehfard,
Fatemeh Hassani,
Rezvan Solimani,
Nahid Azarpira,
Hanieh Dehghani,
Atefeh Dezhgahi,
Ali Mohammad Sanati,
Sima Farjadfard,
Bahman Ramavandi
Affiliations
Zahra Jokar
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Nafiseh Banavi
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Sara Taghizadehfard
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Fatemeh Hassani
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Rezvan Solimani
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Nahid Azarpira
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Hanieh Dehghani
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Atefeh Dezhgahi
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Ali Mohammad Sanati
Department of Environmental Science, Persian Gulf Research Institute, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
Sima Farjadfard
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran
Bahman Ramavandi
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, 7518759577, Iran; Corresponding author.
Plastic wastes —including cigarette butts (CBs)— are dangerous for marine ecosystems not only because they contain hazardous chemicals but also because they can finally turn into micro- or even nano-particles that may be ingested by micro- and macro-fauna. Even large pieces of plastics can trap animals. In this research, the pollution status of macroplastics (abundance, size, type, and colour) and cigarette butts (CBs, number/m2) on the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf has been investigated. A total of 19 stations were explored in Bushehr province (Iran), which covers a length equivalent to 160 km of the Persian Gulf coastline. Among the collected plastic waste (2992 items), disposable mugs were the most frequent (18 %). Plastics with sizes 5–15 cm were the most abundant, and the most common type of plastic was PET (P-value <0.05). The origin of most macroplastics was domestic (2269 items). According to the Index of Clean Coasts (ICC), most surveyed beaches were extremely dirty. The average number and density of CBs in this study were 220 and 2.45 items/m2, respectively. Household litter was the most abundant type of waste in the studied beaches, and this problem can be better managed by training and improving the waste disposal culture. In general, it is suggested that an integrated and enhanced management for fishing, sewage and surface water disposal, and sandy recreational beaches be implemented in Bushehr to control plastic waste.
