Urmi Moriom Akter, Khan Md Rokonujjaman, Alrehaili Ayman, Rahman Md Mostafizur
Laboratory of Environmental Health and Ecotoxicology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, 1342, Bangladesh.
Department of Environmental Science, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka, 1216, Bangladesh.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 Jun;32(27):16502-16517. doi: 10.1007/s11356-025-36671-2. Epub 2025 Jun 28.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution in food is becoming a rising concern around the world. In Bangladesh, previous studies found MPs in various food items including sugar, tea, salt, and fish. However, research on MPs contamination in Bangladesh is still missing. Therefore, for the first time, this study investigated the abundance, distribution and chemical composition of MPs in rice of Bangladesh. Rice was assessed in raw and traditionally cooked form to estimate potential human exposure of MPs via rice in Bangladesh. 15 commonly consumed store-bought rice samples were analyzed for MPs contamination. Physical and chemical characteristics of MP's were detected using a stereomicroscope, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. MPs were detected in all samples, in raw rice the microplastic content was 67.20 ± 24.21 items/g and 32.47 ± 12.46 items/g in the cooked rice samples. Fragment shape, black and blue colour, and < 0.1 mm were the most prevalent characteristics observed. Nylon, nitrile, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and multiple other polymers were detected in both types of samples. This study found that traditional cooking process in Bangladesh can significantly reduce MPs from rice. But the presence of MPs in rice is high comparing to other countries. According to per capita rice consumption, an adult Bangladeshi intake approximately 15,226.87 ± 5843.59 items of MPs daily via rice. This finding of potential human exposure of MPs thorough rice intake in Bangladesh provides foundation for further research on health impacts associated with MPS and mitigation strategies.
食品中的微塑料（MPs）污染正日益成为全球关注的问题。在孟加拉国，先前的研究在包括糖、茶、盐和鱼在内的各种食品中发现了微塑料。然而，孟加拉国关于微塑料污染的研究仍然缺失。因此，本研究首次调查了孟加拉国大米中微塑料的丰度、分布和化学成分。对生米和传统烹饪后的大米进行评估，以估计孟加拉国居民通过大米摄入微塑料的潜在风险。分析了15个常见的市售大米样本中的微塑料污染情况。使用体视显微镜和傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱仪检测微塑料的物理和化学特征。所有样本中均检测到微塑料，生米中的微塑料含量为67.20±24.21个/克，熟米样本中的含量为32.47±12.46个/克。碎片形状、黑色和蓝色以及<0.1毫米是观察到的最普遍特征。在两种类型的样本中均检测到尼龙、丁腈、丙烯腈丁二烯苯乙烯（ABS）、聚氯乙烯（PVC）和多种其他聚合物。本研究发现，孟加拉国的传统烹饪过程可以显著减少大米中的微塑料。但与其他国家相比，大米中微塑料的含量较高。根据人均大米消费量，孟加拉国成年人每天通过大米摄入约15226.87±5843.59个微塑料。孟加拉国居民通过大米摄入微塑料的这一潜在风险发现，为进一步研究微塑料对健康的影响及缓解策略提供了基础。
