Assessment of microplastics occurrence and abundance in water and sediment from Lekki Lagoon, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous sources of pollution in aquatic habitats, which have proven to be a source of concern  to the world because of their consumption by aquatic animals and the risk of their introduction into the food web. This has been worsened by the absence of effective management of plastic wastes in Nigeria. This research calculated the abundance, distribution and properties of MPs in water, and sediment from Lekki Lagoon, and determined the types of polymers. The MPs were obtained through filtration and density separation, chemical digestion and were identified by inspection using a stereomicroscope. Polymer characterisation was done using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The SPSS (v26) was used to analyse data. The presence of MPs was observed in all matrices of the environment. Particles in water were 364 to 435 particles/L and sediment 459 to 611 particles/g. The prevailing shape was fragments and black MPs were the commonest colour. Some of the polymers recognized were PET, LDPE, PVC, PP. The results indicated the high possibility of aquatic organisms in the Lagoon being contaminated with microplastic present in the water and sediments. Public awareness drive and stringent plastic waste management rules are essential.