Yahaya Tajudeen, Adewale Mutiyat Kehinde, Ibrahim Abdulgafar Bala, Abdulkadir Baliqees, Emmanuela Chikelu Chinelo, Fari Adamu Zainab, Attahiru Asiya Koko, Wanda Joseph Dahali
Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria.
Environ Anal Health Toxicol. 2024 Jun;39(2):e2024017-0. doi: 10.5620/eaht.2024017. Epub 2024 Jun 7.
Microplastic pollution has become a global menace, and water, being a major "sink" for pollutants, represents a significant source of human exposure. This study aimed to assess the safety of borehole water in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria, specifically concerning microplastic pollution. Water samples were collected from boreholes in selected areas, including Bayan Kara, Malali, Rafin Atiku, Aliero Quarters, GwadanGaji, FUBK Takeoff Site, Kalgo Market, and Tarasa. Microplastics were extracted from the water samples through filtration using glass fiber filter papers, and were subsequently subjected to spectroscopy and microscopy to determine concentrations, shapes, and polymer types. Health risks associated with the microplastics were also calculated. The results revealed that the samples from Tarasa exhibited the highest concentrations of microplastics (96.967 particles/L), followed by Bayan Kara (92.70 particles/L), Rafin Atiku (92.33 particles/L), GwadanGwaji (92.30 particles/L), FUBK Takeoff Site (91.07 particles/L), Aliero Quarters (90.43 particles/L), Kalgo Market (88.00 particles/L), and Malali (86.40 particles/L). The most dominant shape was fibers (73 %), followed by fragments (16 %), foams (6 %), and filaments (5 %). Polyethylene and polyamide, in that order, were the most dominant polymers, while polystyrene was the least common. The majority of risk scores were classified as III. It can be inferred from the results that microplastic pollution in borehole water poses a health hazard in the city. Consumers of borehole water in the studied areas are advised to treat the water before consumption to mitigate potential health risks.
微塑料污染已成为全球威胁，而水作为污染物的主要“汇”，是人类接触污染物的重要来源。本研究旨在评估尼日利亚比尔宁凯比钻孔水的安全性，特别是关于微塑料污染方面。从包括巴扬卡拉、马拉利、拉菲恩·阿提库、阿列罗居民区、格瓦丹加吉、联邦大学建筑工程系启动场地、卡尔戈市场和塔拉萨在内的选定区域的钻孔中采集水样。通过使用玻璃纤维滤纸过滤从水样中提取微塑料，随后对其进行光谱分析和显微镜检查，以确定浓度、形状和聚合物类型。还计算了与微塑料相关的健康风险。结果显示，塔拉萨的样本微塑料浓度最高（96.967颗粒/升），其次是巴扬卡拉（92.70颗粒/升）、拉菲恩·阿提库（92.33颗粒/升）、格瓦丹加吉（92.30颗粒/升）、联邦大学建筑工程系启动场地（91.07颗粒/升）、阿列罗居民区（90.43颗粒/升）、卡尔戈市场（88.00颗粒/升）和马拉利（86.40颗粒/升）。最主要的形状是纤维（73%），其次是碎片（16%）、泡沫（6%）和长丝（5%）。按此顺序，聚乙烯和聚酰胺是最主要的聚合物，而聚苯乙烯最不常见。大多数风险评分被归类为III级。从结果可以推断，钻孔水中的微塑料污染对该市构成健康危害。建议研究区域内饮用钻孔水的消费者在饮用前对水进行处理，以降低潜在的健康风险。
