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Microplastic Risk Assessment in an Urban Tropical Stream Using Active Biomonitoring with Native Fish
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Researchers placed caged native fish in a stream in an urbanized area for 28 days to measure microplastic pollution. Small fiber-shaped, black microplastics made of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide were found in both water and fish tissue, with pollution levels ranging from low to moderate. The study estimated that eating fish muscle from this stream could expose humans to microplastics.
Microplastic pollution has been reported worldwide. However, current assessments remain limited by quantification and evaluation based on abiotic factors. Unlike passive biomonitoring, which reflects wide biological variability in wild-caught fish, active biomonitoring with caged, standardized organisms provides controlled environmental exposure. This study introduces an early warning framework by integrating active biomonitoring with a multi-index approach to evaluate the levels (Pollution Load Index), the impact on the environment (Coefficients of Microplastic Index), bioavailability in the organism (Microplastic Index), and Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) by humans of microplastic pollution in a stream threatened by urbanization. The caged native fish (Rasbora lateristriata) were placed at three sites along the urbanized Winongo Stream for a 28-day exposure period. The microplastics were extracted from water samples and fish organs and characterized by size, shape, color, and polymer type. This study found that small size, fiber, and black color were the dominant microplastic types in surface water and fish tissues at all sampling sites. This study identified polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide as the polymers. Pollution levels ranged from low to moderate, and the potential environmental impact of microplastic shape ranged from low to extreme. The Microplastics Index shows the translocation from water to the body of fish, and the Estimated Daily Intake shows that humans possibly consume microplastics by eating fish muscle. These findings highlight the potential measurable risk of dietary exposure through fish consumption, underscoring the importance of integrating active biomonitoring with ecological risk indices for assessing microplastic contamination in tropical freshwater ecosystems. Education on proper, sustainable waste management and comprehensive policies is needed to mitigate plastic pollution in aquatic environments.
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