Microplastics prevalence in water, sediment and two economically important species of fish in an urban riverine system in Ghana

Abstract

Urban riverine systems serve as conduits for the transport of plastic waste from the terrestrial dumpsites to marine repositories. This study presented data on the occurrence of microplastics in water, sediment, Bagrid Catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus) and Black-chinned Tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) from the Densu River, an urban riverine system in Ghana. Microplastics were extracted from the samples collected from both the lentic and lotic sections of the river. The results indicated widespread pollution of the Densu River with microplastics in all the compartments studied. The average numbers of microplastic particles deposited in the Dam (2.0 ± 0.58) and Delta (2.50 ± 0.48) sections of the river were not affected by the differences in their hydrology. However, the stagnant water system of the Dam promoted the floating of larger-sized microplastics while the flowing waters of the Delta did not show any selectivity in the deposition of microplastics between sediment and the water column. The number of microplastics ingestions by the Bagrid Catfish (2.88 ± 2.11) was similar to the Black-chinned Tilapia (2.38 ± 1.66) but both species ingested lower numbers of microplastics than reported for marine fish species in coastal Ghana.

Distribution patterns of microplastics in subtidal sediments from the Sado river estuary and the Arrábida marine park, Portugal

“…Comparatively with other estuaries, the abundance of MPs found in Sado sediments was only lower than levels reported for Durban Bay in South Africa (111,933 ± 29,189 items kg −1 ; Preston-Whyte et al, 2021). However, it was higher than Densu delta in Ghana (4.0 ± 0.82 items per 10 g; Blankson et al, 2022), Warnow in Germany (379 ± 28 items kg −1 at the S10 station; Enders et al, 2019), Miri in Borneo Island (456.2 ± 33.6 items kg −1 in S5; Liong et al, 2021), Sebou in Morocco (187 items kg −1 in E1; Haddout et al, 2021) and both Dalio (ca 400 items kg −1 ; Xu et al, 2020) and Changjiang (where the higher abundance was ca 150 items kg −1 ; Peng et al, 2017)…”

Microplastics in Ghana: An in-depth review of research, environmental threats, sources, and impacts on ecosystems and human health

“… Type of Study Location of Study Concentration on microplastic Analytical Technique Use References Microplastics in sediment Ledzokuku (Accra) -Core KLC2 (Kpeshie lagoon the second near the mangrove forest remnant) (2.16 wt% gr-1 -MLC (Mukwei Lagoon) (0.96 wt% gr-1 -KLC1 (Kpeshie Lagoon; one near the coastline) 0.75 wt% gr-1 fluorescent microscope [ 47 ] Microplastics in fish, water, and sediment Atewa (Eastern) and Weija (Accra) Black-chinned Tilapia from the Densu Delta (2.25) MP/individual and the Weija Dam (2.50) MP/individual Bagrid Catfish from the Densu Delta (4.17) MP/individual and the Weija Dam (1.58) MP/individual The mean number of microplastics for combined sediment and water in the Weija Dam (2.00 ± 0.577) and Densu Delta (2.50 ± 0.477) Leica EZ4 HD stereo microscope with image analyses system IC80 HD camera. [ 49 ] Microplastics in wild oysters Sekondi, Capecoast, Accra and Volta 2.1 ± 0.9–3.4 ± 1.0 items/individual- Stereomicroscope (Leica EZ4D) equipped with an inbuilt camera (Leica ICC550E) [ 48 ] Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of fish Jamestown (Accra) 0.94 ± 1.18–1.49 ± 1.48 items/fish microscopic observation using a Leica EZ4HD stereo microscope. [ 51 ] Microplastic in sediments Western 456 particles/10 g (Ankobra estuary) - 728 particles/10 g of the entire 1184 particles/10 g (Pra estuary) OPTIKA dissecting microscope [ 52 ] Microplastic in sediment 0.078 ± 0.020 items/g (DW) at Sekondi to 0.217 ± 0.012 items/g (DW) at Denu Stereomicroscope Microplastic in fish Volta, Tema, Capecoast and Sekondi I. Africana – 13.60 ± 5.95(MPs/individual) at Denu to 20.95 ± 12.72 (MPs/individual) at Sekondi S. maderensis – 18.80 ± 8.36(MPs/individual) at Denu to 13.10 ± 5.56 (MPs/individual) at Sekondi …”

“…Fibers and fragments, with sizes ranging from 33 μm to 4870 μm and black-colored MPs were prevalent as shown in Table 1 , potentially originating from the indiscriminate disposal of polyethylene carrier bags commonly used for shopping in Ghana. The identified polymers included polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polystyrene, cellophane, cotton, and cellulose [ 49 ]. Also investigated the occurrence and distribution of MPs in the Densu River, an important urban river in Ghana.…”

Microplastic contamination in canned fish sold in Türkiye

“…The main entry route of MPs into the food chain is mainly through aquatic food products. These food products range from table salt ( Gündoğdu, 2018 ) to fish ( Blankson et al, 2022 ), mussels ( Gedik, Eryaşar & Gözler, 2022 ), and seaweeds ( Li et al, 2020 ). However, MPs can enter the body of many organisms, especially humans, through direct inhalation ( Kashfi et al, 2022 ), leakage from the package into food ( Sobhani et al, 2020 ), and even though plastic cutting boards ( Habib et al, 2022 ).…”