Microplastics found in Laguna de Bay

Laguna Lake. File Photo

By Aric John Sy Cua

A HIGH concentration of microplastics was found in Laguna de Bay, the country's largest lake, with the highest recorded on the side that is facing Metro Manila, according to two scientists who made a study on the matter.

In a joint video interview with The Manila Times, Prof. Cris Gel Loui Arcadio and Dr. Hernando Bacosa, Mindanao State University (MSU) scientists, said they have analyzed the waters at the 900-square-kilometer lake for microplastics, as their presence could lead to harmful effects on humans and marine life.

The Laguna de Bay is a main source of water for Metro Manila. It stretches over the provinces of Rizal and Laguna. In the vicinity are Manila, Quezon City and San Pablo. Laguna de Bay is fed by 21 rivers, with a catchment area of about 3.820 sq km.

"We were able to extract 100 microplastics," Arcadio, who authored a study, conducted in February of last year, said. "We examined the morphological characteristics of it, and the majority of the microplastics that were found in Laguna Lake were fibers and they were all blue colors."

In that study that was funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program, it showed that the West Bay of the lake, which is the Metro Manila side, has the "highest concentration of microplastics, with an average of 20 microplastics per cubic meter, compared to the Central, East, and South Bays of the lake, which all registered 10 microplastics per cubic meter."

"Microplastics were ubiquitously detected in all sites with the concentration highest in areas of the lake characterized by intensive human activities such as but not limited to household discharges, effluents from chemical industries, and intensification of economic activities," the study said.

Effects on human health

In the same interview, Bacosa said that once microplastics enter the human body, this could cause oxidative stress in the cells.

"When the cells are stressed, they cannot function normally and they cannot actually detoxify," he said. "That could lead to inflammation in the long run and abnormal functions of our organs."