- Academic Info
Batch
46
Thesis
Are we eating microplastics with our staple food? A pioneering study of microplastic contamination in store-bought rice and cooked rice in Bangladesh.
PhD Topic
Season
2016-17
- Work history
Project, MS Thiess
- Summery (Thesis)
In Bangladesh, MPs were found in various food items. However, MPs contamination in staple food rice was missing. Therefore, for the first time, this study investigated the abundance, distribution and chemical composition of MPs in rice. Rice was assessed in raw and traditionally cooked form to estimate potential human exposure. 15 commonly consumed store-bought rice samples were analyzed. Physical and chemical characteristics were detected using a stereomicroscope, and FTIR spectroscopy. MPs were found in all samples, in raw rice the content was 67.20±24.21 items/g and 32.47±12.46 items/g in cooked. Fragment shape, black and blue colour, and<0.1 mm were the most prevalent. Nylon, nitrile, ABS, PVC, other polymers were detected. This study found that traditional cooking process in Bangladesh can significantly reduce MPs from rice. According to per capita rice consumption, an adult Bangladeshi intake approximately 15,226.87±5843.59 items of MPs daily via rice.