Prof. Dr. M. Safiur Rahman
Biography
Name: Prof. Dr. Md. Safiur Rahman
Nationality: Bangladeshi (DOB: 01-08-1972)
Present status: Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)/ Professor Chemistry Division
Atomic Energy Centre Dhaka (AECD) Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission 4- Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Shahbag GPO Box: 164, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Research Interest
ief Scientific Officer (CSO) at BAEC BANGLADESH
2019 April – Till today : Atmospheric and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Centre Dhaka (AECD). Research Area: Environmental impact assessment, ecological risk assessment, food chain, drinking water quality, health risk assessment.
Visiting Scientist Hirosaki University Japan
2017-2018 : Worked on a research project entitled “Development of the precise determination technique on radionuclides such as U-236, Cs-135 and I- 129 in the environmental samples by using an inductively coupled plasma- mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)”
Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) at BAEC BANGLADESH
2013 Sep. – 2019 April : Atmospheric and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Centre Dhaka (AECD). Research Area: Environmental impact assessment, ecological risk assessment, food chain, drinking water quality, health risk assessment.
Teaching Assistance Dalhousie University CANADA
2012 - 2014 (May) : Civil and Resource Engineering Department, Dalhousie University, Canada. Prof. Dr. G.A. Gagnon, Dalhousie University, Canada.
Research Assistance Dalhousie University CANADA
2007 - 2014 (May) : Civil and Resource Engineering Department, Dalhousie University, Canada. Specific project: “Improving drinking water quality in distribution systems” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. G.A. Gagnon, Dalhousie University, Canada.
Abstract
Characterization, source identification and hazard level assessment of ingested microplastics in one of the most important fish species in South Asia: Oreochromis niloticus
M. Safiur Rahman
Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Center, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, 4, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Shahbag, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Due to climate change, storms and heavy rainfall events can transport plastics from urban areas into rivers and oceans, contributing to plastic pollution in aquatic environments. Subsequently, climate change can alter water temperature and pH levels, affecting the microbial communities responsible for breaking down plastic materials. Changes in microbial activity may impact the rate at which microplastics degrade and become available for ingestion by fish. As fish ingest microplastics, these particles can accumulate in their tissues. As a consequence, fish behavior, migration patterns, and feeding habits might be altered due to the combing effects of climate change and microplastics contamination in fish presents complex challenges for both ecosystems and human health. Therefore, this study was designed to characterize the ingested MPs and to identify potential sources of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts (GTs) of one of the most important fish species in South Asia “tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)” and the assessment of their health risk. GTs of 36 fish samples were collected from 12 tilapia fish farms in the Noakhali District, Bangladesh and MPs were isolated from GTs of the fishes following the standard procedures. A total of 199 MPs particles were extracted from all fish samples. The average MPs abundance in tilapia’s GTs did not significantly vary among fish farms (F = 1.464, p = 0.209). This study revealed that fibers were the dominant MPs shape in tilapia’s GTs (90.95%). In the GT of tilapia, black (25.13%), blue (24.12%), and red (23.12%) were the dominant colour of MPs. Most MPs found in tilapia GTs were within 300-1500 µm in size and accounted for 80.90% of the total extracted MP particles. Identified polymers in GT samples were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which were consistent with the reported results in literature. Observed polymer hazard index (PHI) value of this study demonstrated that PE (PHI = 14.79) and PET (PHI = 33.12) were below the low hazard level (risk category II), while PE (PHI = 507.65) were below the high hazard level (risk category IV) and PVC (PHI = 307,730.77) were below the very high hazard level (risk category V). It has been suggested that ingestion of microplastics through fishes has been linked to gastrointestinal disturbances, endocrine disruption, and the potential transmission of pathogenic bacteria, which might have negative health effects that require additional research using nuclear (i.e., NMR, IR-MS) and non-nuclear techniques (i.e., FTIR, GC-MS, TEM).
Presenter and corresponding author (Md Safiur Rahman):
E-mail: safiur.rahman@baec.gov.bd; ORCiD: 0000-0002-7783-0411; Fax: +88-02-58617946
