Due to continual mass production and gradual breakdown, plastic pollution has been a growing environmental concern in recent years. Microplastics with a diameter of 5 mm to 1 m are swallowed by marine animals and later consumed by humans in the form of seafood. The aim of this research was to evaluate microplastics isolated from Anadara granosa samples found in the local market in Shah Alam. The soft tissue of Anadara granosa were dissected and digested using NaOH. Microplastics were isolated, filtered and identified through microscopic examination based on the color, shape and size. The chemical composition of microplastics were further analyzed by FTIR to identify the functional group of polymers. A total of 420 microplastics were found in Anadara granosa. Threads were the majority of microplastics observed in terms of shapes and colors. The size range within 0.5 to 1 and 1 to 2 µm were the highest abundance observed. There were one identified polymer type of microplastics obtained through FTIR, which is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in Anadara granosa. Results revealed that there was presence of microplastics pollution in the marine animal. Further research can be done on the toxicity effects of these microplastics towards human upon consumption of Anadara granosa as seafood.
Keywords: Anadara granosa, Microplastics, Chemical composition, FTIR, PMMA, Toxicity effects.