Microplastics and mercury detection on anchovy from alor and balikpapan harbors, Indonesia

Microplastics contamination has become a severe environmental problem. Several studies reported that microplastics carried another contamination and increasing the toxicity effect. Research on microplastics meets on human health risk regarding possibilities of microplastics exposure, which causes the issue more concern to be studied. On this research, we investigated the total of microplastics contaminant from a seafood product, the anchovies (Stolephorus spp.) from Alor and Balikpapan harbors. The digestive tract of anchovies are isolated and measured as length (cm±SD) and dry weight (g±SD). The anchovies digestive tracts (±1 g) were added with 30 mL (1 M) NaOH together with 15 mL 0.5% dissolved Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (technical grade) and kept at room temperature within a week. Microplastics is observed with microscope Leica and confirmed by Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. The results reveal that the anchovies from Alor carried out 302±1.0 particles microplastic/individual, followed by 130±1.73 particles microplastic/individual from Balikpapan' anchovies. The most shape and size found on a sample from Alor were 95% microfiber with 50-500 μm, while from Balikpapan sample were 43.83% microfilm with 20-50 μm, The mercury contamination is also tested. The results showed that mercury are not detected from the Alor sample and a little bit from Balikpapan sample (39.49 ug/L or 0.04 mg/Kg). Although mercury is present from Balikpapan sample, the amount is under the maximum level (0.06 mg/Kg) based on BPOM RI standard. To better understand the microplastics and mercury contamination on the anchovies product originate from Indonesia Sea, the future study which provides more sampling location is needed.