NJAU LOISE NDUNGE

Project Summary

There has been a drastic plastics pollution in the environment and it is a growing problem globally. In previous studies, plastic pollution in the aquatic environment (marine and freshwater) has been well documented. Due to their unique characteristic, that is light weight, plastics are easily transported by water and wind to the freshwater bodies. When exposed in different environmental conditions, these plastics break down to microplastics. Microplastics are nano-size in nature and due to their physical characteristics and chemical compositions, they absorb a cocktail of contaminants such as organochlorine pesticides, organic pollutants, herbicides and other hazardous chemicals which pose higher environmental risks and potential risk to human health.

In some cases, bottled water is basically tap water from aquatic sources. Microplastics have conclusively been identified in bottled water and in samples collected at drinking water treatment plants in several countries such as China and Mexico. In Kenya as at now, there are no maximum allowable microplastic concentration guidelines yet. It means microplastic contamination may be prevalent in drinking water given that the current water treatment processes and water regulating programs do not take this into account.

Therefore, in this project, water samples from different water bottling companies will be collected randomly and oxidized using 30% H2O2. The component will be filtered through a Whatman filter paper, dried at room temperature for 24hrs and later examined under a dissecting microscope. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer will be used for identification and chemical characterization of the particles. Concentration will be determined by the use of the One-Way ANOVA.

The result of this study will identify the abundance and distribution of microplastics in bottled drinking water products and as a consequence, to formulate priorities for water safety.