Marine plastics in the Philippines: a call for research

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Philippine Science Letters Vol. 11 | No. 01 | 2018
18
Marine plastics in the Philippines: a
call for research
Neil Angelo S. Abreo1,2
1Regional Integrated Coastal Resource Management Center (RIC-XI), Davao Oriental State
College of Science and Technology, Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines
2Institute of Aquatic and Applied Sciences, Davao del Norte State College,
Panabo City, 1015, Philippines
lastics in the marine environment, aptly named
“marine plastics,” are considered as a global threat to
marine biodiversity. A plethora of species has been
reported to have succumbed to the harmful effects of
these marine pollutants (Kühn et al. 2015). The
number of affected marine species is expected to rise as research
on this topic increases (Ryan 2015). For example, Abreo et al.
(2016a) provided the first evidence of plastic ingestion by
Deriniyagala’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula). Minimum
estimates on the number of marine plastics in the world’s oceans
are currently placed at 5.25 trillion pieces (Eriksen et al. 2014).
Moreover, Jambeck et al. (2015) estimate the global input of
marine plastic at 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons per year. This
increasing number of plastic in the marine environment through
the years could also mean an increase in interactions with
different marine species. Overlap in the distribution of marine
debris, including marine plastics, and the foraging habitats of
marine species will result as marine plastics become more
ubiquitous.
Previous studies have implicated the Philippines as one of the
highest contributors of plastics to the marine environment
(Jambeck et al. 2015; Lebreton et al. 2017). The country is said
to contribute 0.28–0.75 million metric tons of marine plastic per
year (Jambeck et al. 2015). Pasig River alone is estimated to
KEYWORDS
plastic, marine debris, marine pollution, Philippines
contribute 3.21 x 104 tons of plastic per year to the marine
environment (Lebreton et al. 2017). With the Philippines hosting
a very high marine biodiversity, the interaction between marine
plastics and marine species is inevitable. Published scientific
literature on marine plastic in the country is surprisingly scarce.
LITTERBASE, a database which creates an inventory of
scientific publications focusing on marine plastic, shows that out
of 1,756 scientific articles published on marine plastic
worldwide, only three (see Abreo et al. 2016a, 2016b; Aloy et al.
2011) were from the Philippines (Tekman et al. 2017). Although
other publications stating occurrences of marine plastic are
present (e.g., Obusan et al. 2016; Orale and Fabillar 2011), these
studies did not focus on the problem. Nevertheless, even if these
studies are included, the number remains minimal.
A more daunting problem is the discovery of microplastics
(plastics <5mm in size) and its role in increasing the
bioavailability of toxins (e.g., heavy metals, PCBs
(polychlorinated biphenyls), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
among others) in the marine environment (e.g., Avio et al. 2016,
2015). Note that studies on microplastic and their interaction
with toxins are still in their infancy. However, biomagnification
and bioaccumulation of toxins through ingestion of
microplastics have already been documented (Tanaka et al.
2013; Teuten et al. 2009). This development will have
implications for food safety and may compromise food security
in the future as more and more seafood species are found to
ingest marine plastics (Rochman et al. 2015). Currently there are
no studies of this nature published from the Philippines. This is
a great source of concern, given that marine fisheries
significantly contribute to fish production in the country and fish
is considered as the main source of protein for most of the
population (Macusi et al. 2011). Bioaccumulation of toxins
through consumption of marine species tainted with
microplastics may lead to adverse effects in large parts of the
population in the country. No studies have explored the
P
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
*Corresponding author
Email Address: nas.abreo@gmail.com
Date received: March 2, 2018
Date revised: March 15, 2018
Date accepted: March 26, 2018

Vol. 11 | No. 01 | 2018 Philippine Science Letters
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possibility of toxic loading in humans through this pathway and
the possible effects of this on human physiology.
The need for research on marine plastic in the Philippines is of
utmost importance since the country is heavily dependent on the
marine environment and the ecosystem services that it provides.
Moreover, since the Philippines is a significant contributor of
plastics in the marine environment, development of
methodologies or strategies to address the problem will be a
substantial contribution to the global community. The lack of
data impedes the understanding of the problem and results in
failure to recognize its gravity. This would, in turn, affect the
attitudes and efforts toward addressing the issue. In simple terms,
solving a problem is hard if one does not understand the extent
of the problem.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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