A Study on The Abundance of Microplastic Pollutant in Residential Tap Water

¹ Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan
² International Ceramic Manufacturing Hub (ICMH), Batu 4, Jalan Batu Pahat, Kawasan Perindustrian Mengkibol, 86000 Kluang, Johor
³ Centre of Management for Environment, Occupational Safety and Health, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 16310 Bachok, Kelantan

^* Corresponding author: syuhadah@umk.edu.my

Abstract

Plastic pollution is one of the most pervasive and sinister ecological threats worldwide. Microplastics (MP), is a small piece of plastic and its size is less than 5 millimetres. They were existed from various sources, including personal care products, synthetic clothing, and plastic litter. Microplastics have been found in a wide range of environmental matrices, including soil, sediment, and surface water. The presence of microplastics in tap water has received considerable attention in recent years. This study focuses on the presence of microplastics (count) and the types of microplastics pollutants (chemical properties) in tap water as the drinking water sources in the residential area. Approximately, 120 L of water samples was collected from tap water in houses/shops using random sampling method in four sampling sites. The presence of microplastic in the tap water might come from many sources. In this study, a light microscope and Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy instrument have been used to identify the presence of microplastics precisely. From the analysis, three types of microplastics were found in the tap water samples which are cellulose, cellophane, and poly (2, 2, 2-trifluoroethyl vinyl ether). In conclusion, there are presence of microplastic in tap water at the residential area which is used as the drinking water sources. Since microplastics found in drinking water is one of the potential health risks to human by exposing direct plastic ingestion, microplastic contamination in water supply systems should be controlled.