Microplastics in Wild Clams Harvested from Coastal Waters of Lamongan, Indonesia

Abstract

Contamination by microplastics has been reported in a wide array of marine organisms, including bivalve mollusks. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and abundance of microplastics in bivalves from coastal waters of Paciran, Lamongan, East Java, Indonesia. The high human population and anthropogenic activities in the area may lead to contamination by microplastics in marine organisms. Microplastics were recovered from the soft tissues of three species of wild clams, Gafrarium tumidum, Anadara antiquata, and Venerupis philippinarum. For each species, the microplastics found were grouped based on type and size. The extraction of microplastics was done using 30% H2O2, while the flotation method with NaCl was used to separate the dissolved liquid from the clam’s soft tissues. Microplastic ingestion was found in 99.23% of the clam samples with an average concentration of 3.5 ± 2.8 items/individual and 3.2 ± 2.52 items/g. V. philippinarum had the highest microplastics concentration (4.9 ± 2.80 items/g and 5.6 ± 3.22 items/individual). Microplastic types from all samples were dominated by fibers (80.77%), where 57% of them were less than 200 µm in size. The ubiquitous contamination of microplastics in clams from the coastal waters of Lamongan, Indonesia is a serious concern for marine food webs and human health.