A study published within the journal Environmental Science and Technology found that Malaysians eat a mean of 502.3 mg of microplastics per day per capita.
It was noted that greater than 50 percent of Malaysia’s microplastic consumption got here from fish.
The study found that Malaysia was also among the many top ten countries that inhaled essentially the most microplastics – an estimated 494,000 microplastics per day per capita.
Microplastics – plastic particles smaller than 5 mm – are commonly found in freshwater and marine environments, where they are absorbed by organisms, which are then eaten by humans.
Industrial development is increasing plastic pollution levels, say study authors Xiang Zhao, a professor at the National University of Defense Technology in China, and Fengqi You, a professor of energy systems engineering at Cornell University in the US.
“Dietary microplastics include those accumulating in foodstuffs and material losses resulting from the use of plastics in the production, processing and packaging of food and beverage products,” they said.
“Meanwhile, airborne microplastics are mainly produced by abrasion of plastic materials, such as those in tires, and by aqueous blasts of plastic particles.”
The study showed that one in all the principal sources of microplastics in water is poorly managed plastic waste flowing from landfills or open dumps.
“These plastic particles can contaminate water systems and microplastics in freshwater and saltwater environments, then are dispersed by water currents or air and enter the food chain,” it said.
The study found that between 1990 and 2018, the uptake of microplastics within the air and within the eating regimen increased greater than sixfold in Asia, Africa and the Americas, including China and the United States.
The authors found that by eliminating 90 percent of the world’s aquatic plastic waste, microplastic uptake could possibly be reduced by greater than 48 percent in Southeast Asian countries, where a lot of the world’s microplastic uptake occurs.
“To reduce microplastic uptake and potential public health risks, governments in developing and industrialized countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America should encourage the removal of free plastic debris from freshwater and saltwater environments through advanced water treatment and effective waste disposal. permanent management practices,” they added.
