Malaysia eats more plastic every day than 108 other countries, study finds

Malaysia was also recorded among the top 10 countries that inhaled the most airborne microplastic particles per day

Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam likewise ranked among the global leaders for microplastic uptake due to high rates of seafood consumption

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Fish and plastic pollution in the sea. More than 50 per cent of Malaysia’s microplastic consumption comes from fish, the study found. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:50am, 5 Jun 2024Updated: 9:58am, 5 Jun 2024

Malaysia ranks the highest among 109 countries for consuming microplastics, a recent study found.

The study, published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal, found that Malaysians eat an average of 502.3mg of microplastics daily per capita.

It noted that more than 50 per cent of Malaysia’s microplastic consumption came from fish.

Malaysia was also recorded among the top 10 countries that inhaled the most microplastic particles, at an estimated 494,000 microplastic particles a day per capita, according to the study.

“Our study found that rapidly industrialising countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam topped the microplastic uptake globally, originating from high seafood consumption,” the report said.

Microplastics – plastic particles smaller than 5mm – are commonly found in freshwater and marine environments, where they are ingested by organisms that are then consumed by humans.

An illustrative diagram shows how microplastics enter the food chain after being eaten by fish. Photo: Shutterstock

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