Microplastic pollution rife in Malaysian rivers

Cause for concern: An angler sets up his fishing rod at a popular spot along Sungai Langat in Banting, Selangor. Research shows that microplastic contamination is high in Sungai Langat and other rivers in the country. — FAIHAN GHANI/ The Star

SCIENTISTS are only just beginning to understand the impacts of microplastics on human health. There is mounting evidence that these microscopic pieces of plastic, which are often invisible to the naked eye, can cause respiratory problems, especially for those with existing conditions.

Reports are now increasingly associating inflammatory bowel disease with the presence of microplastic particles in stool. Although there is no direct evidence to link microplastics to cancer, its presence can lead to tissue inflammation, which may result in DNA damage, the initial stage of cancer development.

How microplastics are finding their way into our bodies is a cause for concern and action. For the past four years, our research team from the University of Nottingham Malaysia has been looking at microplastics in Sungai Langat, Selangor, as well as in the bodies of animals that live in the river. Our findings are worrying.

We have found microplastic particles in every one of the hundreds of river water samples we have collected, in concentrations ranging from two to more than 80 pieces per litre of water. We have also found very high concentrations – up to 150,000 pieces per square metre – of microplastic particles sitting on the surface of the riverbed.

Most alarmingly, we have found microplastics in the body of almost every animal we collected, including aquatic insects, mussels and fish, which were the most highly contaminated.

Our latest work suggests that microplastics are present in the gills, guts and flesh of the fish.

This is very worrying as it means that people who consume fish caught from our rivers are likely to be routinely ingesting microplastics. The same applies to fish caught from oceans where microplastic contamination is also very high.

Urgent action is needed to address the risks posed by microplastics to human health. However, it is extremely challenging to reduce exposure to microplastics as it is already in the air we breathe and the water we drink, and very likely in much of the food we eat.

Using filters on tap water, not eating hot food or drinking hot beverages from plastic containers and abstaining from consuming bottom feeders like shellfish and prawns are good ways to start.

Removing the microplastics already present in the environment will be difficult, but we can take action to reduce how much more we add. This can only be achieved with concerted efforts on multiple fronts.

Individually, we should be mindful of how much plastic we use, and especially how we dispose of it. Simple measures such as using our own metal containers to pack food bought from outside and using glass bottles to refill instead of buying bottled water can go a long way in reducing the amount of single-use plastics that may end up in the environment.

While the public should be encouraged and empowered to adopt recycling habits, local councils must provide better waste management facilities and recycling options to support them. Taxes or other fiscal incentives could be introduced to help increase the use of recyclable plastics.

Government funding for research to help find new ways of removing plastics and microplastics from our marine and freshwater ecosystems and to help develop new biodegradable plastics is greatly needed.

Malaysia has T-minus seven years to fulfil its Roadmap Towards Zero Single-use Plastics 2018-2030. The clock is ticking.

Let’s all try to use less plastic between now and next year’s Earth Day.

PROF DR CHRIS GIBBINS

Vice-provost

Research and Knowledge Exchange

and PROF TING KANG NEE

Head of the School of Pharmacy

University of Nottingham Malaysia