PUTRAJAYA: In-depth research on the effects and presence of microplastics in Malaysian waters has begun after alarming levels were found in our rivers, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said this comes after initial research on Malaysian waters found notable levels of microplastics or plastic particles smaller than 5mm, in four key river basins across the country.
The research, conducted by the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (Nahrim) under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), found that the microplastic pollution rate ranged from 179.6 particles per litre to as high as 4,541.4 particles in parts of these river basins.
The river basins inspected were in Sungai Langat, Sungai Kelantan, Sungai Klang, and Sungai Sarawak. Fadillah said further research was necessary on this to not only uncover the possible effects microplastics and other pollutants may have on the public, but also on the environment as a whole.
“The results of the research are expected to be used by all relevant stakeholders to improve water quality in Malaysia.
“This might entail the need to immediately improve our current drinking water treatment process to guarantee only the best quality water is received by the people,” he said in his speech at the launch of Malaysia’s First National Microplastics Seminar 2024, organised by Nahrim yesterday.
The seminar was held in collaboration with Frontier Laboratory Ltd Japan and the Malaysian Water Association.
Fadillah, who is also the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said the research would also study the presence and effects of other new pollutants, such as endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), on water quality. He also called on participants to use the knowledge learned at the seminar to spread microplastic pollution concerns to their local communities and the public as a whole.
“Research cannot end with just a scientific publication, but it must be necessarily translated into a form that can be easily understood by the people,” he added.
Nahrim director-general Mohd Zaki Mat Amin Za said the country’s current excessive annual usage of plastic at around nine billion and below-average recycling rate of only 35.38% in 2023 posed a serious threat to the safety and health of Malaysian waters.
“As these plastics degrade, they release chemical compounds such as Bisphenol A that could pose serious health risks to anything ingesting them, which will then come back to humans as we eat seafood.
“As a result, more detailed research is needed to study and understand microplastics’ effects on both the health of our people and our environment,” he said in his opening speech at the launch of the seminar.
This concern also comes after a recent study, published by the Environmental Science And Technology journal in June, found that Malaysia ranks the highest among 109 countries in microplastics consumption, with Malaysians consuming around 15g per month. Malaysia was also recorded in the top 10 countries that inhaled the most microplastic particles, at an estimated 494,000 microplastic particles a day (per capita), according to the study.
The Sunday Star reported on the large amounts of plastic debris and other pollutants that could pose a “red flag” to those who consume seafood, according to a microbiology scientist.
Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Biological Sciences Professor of Applied Microbiology, Dr K. Sudesh Kumar, said there was a high possibility of marine organisms ingesting microplastics, which are then consumed by humans.
