You’re invited to join the Nebraska Water Center at a special seminar on October 9, 2026. Visiting researcher Paromita Chakraborty will be speaking on micro-pollutants in India’s tropical river ecosystems.
Where: Hardin Hall, Room 901 and on Zoom
When: 2:00 – 3:00 pm, Friday, October 9, 2026
Talk Title: Source-sink dynamics of plastic-associated micro-organic pollutants in tropical riverine catchments of India: A nature-based model for a Sustainable Future
By Paromita Chakraborty. Co-authors Sarat Chandra, Mithun Karayi, K Pavithra, Sancho Rajan, Daniel Snow
Environmental Science and Technology Laboratory, Centre for Research in Environment, Sustainability Advocacy and Climate Change (REACH), Directorate of Research, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu 603203. E-mail contact: head.reach@srmist.edu.in
Abstract: A cocktail of micro-pollutants (cMOPs) continues to persist in India's tropical river ecosystems and bioaccumulates in the food chain, posing significant risks to wildlife and human health. These cMOPs are associated with various issues, including reproductive, developmental, and immune system problems.. Interlinked cMOPs generated from waste plastic burning and incomplete combustion activities pose a significant public health concern in India. This presentation offers an overview of the fate, source-receptor modeling, and risk assessment of cMOPs, with a particular focus on those that act as endocrine disruptors. We used high-end analytical instruments such as GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS. Surrogate-standard recoveries varied between 82%-110% Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in plastic-derived personal protective equipment (PPE) and discarded electronic waste in open landfills could elucidate the heightened surface runoff linked to priority phthalate esters (PAEs), tetra- and penta-polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavier polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in tropical river catchments and their discharge into the Indian atmosphere. Comparable deca-BDE fingerprints in a fishing community associated with recycled polymer industrial refuse indicate the utilization of repurposed e-waste plastics in fishing nets. Prolonged exposure to cMOPs is having a serious impact on community health. A nature-based comprehensive paradigm provides promise for enduring sustainability.
