Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41585479›Full record

ArticleiScience2026

Microplastic contamination in the pristine waters of Tilicho Lake, Nepal: A groundbreaking study in the high-altitude himalayas.

Sahil Shrestha, Ajaya Subedi, Michael J Angove, Kedar Rijal, Pramod Poudel, Shukra Raj Paudel

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in iScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sahil ShresthaEnvironmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal.
Ajaya SubediEnvironmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal.
Michael J AngoveDepartment of Rural Clinical Sciences, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Kedar RijalCentral Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Pramod PoudelCentral Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Shukra Raj PaudelEnvironmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are studied extensively in various environments worldwide; however, their presence in remote, high-altitude freshwater lakes remains underreported. These alpine lakes serve as both upstream water sources and sinks for MPs, highlighting the urgent need for scientific investigation. In this study, we present the first assessment of MP contamination in Tilicho Lake-located at an elevation of 4,917 m.a.s.l., among the world's highest lakes and a popular destination for Himalayan trekkers. Surface water samples from six different nearshore locations revealed an average MP concentration of 42 ± 18 particles per liter. Spatial variability in MP levels showed a strong correlation with the level of tourist accessibility, indicating that tourism and associated plastic waste are significant sources of MP contamination. This growing MP pollution, intensified by increasing tourism and climate change, highlights the pressing need for strengthened policies and environmentally sustainable practices to protect these ecologically sensitive alpine environments.

Indexed as

Aquatic scienceEnvironmental monitoringEnvironmental sciencePollution

Identifiers

PMID41585479
PMCPMC12830172

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.