Dr Pennante Naa Ayikialey Bruce-Vanderpuije, a Senior Research Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI), has called for stronger measures to prevent plastic waste from entering water bodies.
She said reducing plastic pollution at its source was critical to limiting the movement of microplastics into the food chain and protecting aquatic foods consumed by Ghanaians.
Dr Bruce-Vanderpuije noted that while international research had raised concerns about possible links between microplastic exposure and inflammation, oxidative stress, immune disruption and organ damage, Ghana needed stronger local evidence to establish a clear link between exposure levels and actual health outcomes.
She made the call in Accra during a presentation on “Plastic on the Menu: Microplastics in Aquatic Foods and Beach Coastal Waste in Ghana.”
The presentation formed part of a three-day CSIR-WRI mid-year review programme, which brought together researchers and stakeholders to discuss issues affecting water, the environment, food and public health.
According to Dr Bruce-Vanderpuije, findings from research conducted on fish from the Lower Volta Basin and coastal communities along the Gulf of Guinea detected significant levels of microplastics in the guts and gills of both cage-farmed and wild fish.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles measuring up to five millimetres, which enter water bodies, sediment and aquatic organisms as larger plastic materials break down.
Dr Bruce-Vanderpuije highlighted that the study began around 2021/2022 and focused on the Lower Volta Basin because of growing cage-farming activities and limited data on microplastic contamination in the basin.
Researchers sampled 330 fish across 12 species from Asikuma, Kpong and Sogakope during both wet and dry seasons, focusing on the guts and gills, which are consumed in some parts of Ghana.
“We know that plastics are in the environment, and they are transferred into our food, our water and our sediment. We examined cage-farmed tilapia and wild fish species from the basin to determine the presence and levels of microplastics,” she indicated.
The research, published in the peer-reviewed journals Chemosphere and Environmental Pollution, found the highest average microplastic load in fish from Asikuma, upstream, at about 365 particles per fish, compared with 209 at Kpong and 71 at Sogakope.
Dr Bruce-Vanderpuije attributed the higher contamination in cage-farmed tilapia mainly to microplastic-contaminated fishmeal and plastic nets used in cage aquaculture.
Chemical analysis also identified paint and PVC particles linked to boats and cage infrastructure, suggesting that aquaculture activities could be contributing to the contamination.
Based on Ghana’s estimated average fish consumption of 28 kilogrammes per person annually, she emphasised that a person consuming the gills and guts of cage-farmed tilapia could ingest about 2,561 microplastic particles each year.
“When we consume the gut and gills of fish, we tend to consume these microplastics,” she mentioned.
She added that exposure from all the wild fish species examined could reach about 4,785 particles per person annually.
Dr Bruce-Vanderpuije, however, stressed that the study established exposure and not a confirmed health risk.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
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