microplastics in marine biota and human health risk in the coastal area

The consumption of protein from fish and shellfish tends to increase annually and various studies indicate the presence of microplastic content in these biotas. this study aims to determine the characteristics of microplastics, assess cumulative microplastic intake from fish and shellfish consumption, and evaluate the potential health risks to coastal populations. a total of 109 samples, consisting of gumala fish (johnius sp.), kurisi fish (nemipterus japonicus), indian mackerel (rastrelliger kanagurta), manila clams (venerupis philippinarum), feather clams (anadara antiquata), and anadara clams (anadara granosa) were obtained from coastal areas. assessment of fish and shellfish intake was conducted using a diet history form with 173 respondents across four sub-districts in the coastal area of jeneponto regency. visual inspection with a microscope revealed 263 microplastic particles in all samples. microplastics with a line shape and blue color were the most prevalent. the size of the microplastics varied, with banjar mackerel and manila clams having the largest sizes, reaching 4.493 mm and 6.8 mm, respectively. fifteen types of polymers were identified in the samples through ftir examination, with the most dominant being polyvinyl chloride (27.45%) in fish and polystyrene (37.14%) in shellfish. significant differences (p < 0.05) in microplastic intake were observed in the consumption of banjar mackerel and anadara calms. in contrast while the intake of kurisi fish, gumala fish, feather clams, and manila clams showed no significant differences among age groups. potential health risks for residents are associated with microplastic polymers, particularly polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene, the most commonly found types.