ALVTechnologies Philippines Incorporated congratulates Dr. Emilyn Q. Espiritu, Mr. Raymond S. Rodolfo, Ms. Sofia Maria J. Evangelista, Ms. Jillian Jay G. Feliciano, Ms. Alexandra Marie N. Sumaway from the Environmental Science Department, and Dr. Erwin P. Enriquez, Ms. Jiena Lynne R. Pauco, Mr. Karl Vincent N. Alvarez from the Department of Chemistry at Ateneo de Manila University on the publication of their study entitled “Microplastics contamination in the fishes of selected sites in the Pasig River and Marikina River in the Philippines” in Marine Pollution Bulletin journal.
Microplastics can act as carriers for toxic materials and harmful organisms, which often latch onto their surfaces. Fish consume microplastics, and become exposed to these substances, posing a threat to their health. Moreover, by eating microplastics instead of food, marine life may be deprived of the nutrients it needs to survive.
Raman spectroscopy plays a key role in identifying the types and origins of microplastics. The experiment was performed using HORIBA XploRA™ Plus with two excitation laser lines (532 and 785 nm) and a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. The surface mapping of the sample was done using the NavMap™ and Mosaic apps of the LabSpec 6 software.
To know more about the article, you may read it at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114573.