Nov 11, 2025
3 min read
Microplastics in Jakarta's air and water pose a risk to the environment and its residents
Updated: 2025-11-05 09:34
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The Jakarta administration has pledged to improve plastic waste management and processing in response to a study that revealed microplastic contamination in rainwater.
A 2022 study by researchers from the National Research and Innovation Agency, or BRIN, was initially published in the open access journal Marine Pollution Bulletin. and was recently presented to the Jakarta Environmental Agency. Microplastics were found in rainwater samples collected in the city.
Microplastics, defined as small plastic particles between 1 nanometer and 5 millimeters in size, were of various shapes and originated from domestic and industrial use, indicating microplastic pollution of the atmosphere.
They also found that the deposition rate, which is the amount of microplastics deposited on a surface per unit of time, was relatively higher during the rainy season.
After receiving the survey, the group recognized the importance of cutting single-use plastics and promoting waste management in the city.
"We consider this discovery to be an environmental warning that requires appropriate and cooperative action," said Jakarta Environmental Agency Chairman Asep Kuswanto in a statement on Saturday.
"Plastic pollution is no longer observed in seas and rivers.It has now reached the skies above Jakarta,” he said, adding that authorities have begun expanding the city's monitoring system to track microplastics in the air and rainwater.
Microplastics come from larger plastics, including manufactured products and industrial materials, that over time break down into small, even microscopic pieces, in forms such as fibers, foam, beads, and fragments.Because of their small size, they can easily travel long distances through air and water and be deposited in the soil.
Researchers in the 2022 BRIN study observed small plastic particles in the air outdoors before they were washed away by rain, said Muhammad Reza Cordova, who led the study.
The team found microplastics 0.3 to 0.5 mm long, about the size of a grain of salt, in rainwater samples collected at ANCOL, North Jakarta.
"I think our findings are still relevant. Microplastics continue to pollute Jakarta's air and rainwater," Reza told the Jakarta Post.“The current situation could be worse, with plastic consumption continuing to increase.”
The dry season can be the worst time, he said, because there is generally no rain to trap airborne pollutants.Reza suggests that wearing a surgical mask may be enough to prevent airborne germs.
But Reza thought Jakarta's air would contain inhalable microplastics.
Brin's study only captured particles larger than 0.3 m. Just because of the type of instrument used the research team could not find a smaller microscope that could be captured by humans.The largest human dust particles can normally absorb about 0.01 mm.M, or about an electric field with a human diameter.
Reza called on the government to set a threshold for safe micropores in the air.
When microplastics enter the human body, such as inhalation or ingestion of blood, they end up in the lungs as lungs, where they remain in vulnerable areas.
Scientists have warned that prolonged exposure to microplastics, whether through eating contaminated marine animals and other food sources or breathing polluted air, can lead to inflammation, respiratory diseases, cancers and other diseases.
A 2024 analysis of 109 countries by researchers at Cornell University suggests that the highest monthly amount of microplastics in about 15 grams, or the weight of an ATM card.
Coastal communities are at high risk from microplastics.More than half of microplastics reported do not come from air sources such as seafood.Research has further shown that the industry has stimulated greater demand for plastics that are thrown away and end up in the ocean.
Another study published in 2024 by Mexican researchers found that microblasts by eating seafood affect the health of fisheries and coastal communities, as they are the main source of fish.
Despite this concern, many Indonesian fishermen are unaware of the dangers of ingesting microplastics.Fish products remain their most accessible and probably most affordable source of protein.
Among them is 63-year-old Dan Yuvoyu, a fisherman in Silinsin, North Jakarta who regularly eats fish from his daily catch.
"Although as a fisherman I catch fish every day, I never get tired of eating it," he said.
Small, fine particles of plastic could also mix with all kinds of pollutants as they disintegrate, creating a cocktail of chemicals that would be even more difficult to control and regulate, said Yuyun Ismawati, co-president of the International Pollution Elimination Network, a network of NGOs.
When plastic decomposes, it adds chemicals used to produce polymers.Some of these chemicals, such as phthalates, can affect the hormonal system when they accumulate in the human body.
Yujun blames the high level of plastic pollution on the government, which continues to open the door to investment in the plastic industry despite the harm that polymers cause to human health.
Although research on the long-term effects is still inconclusive, some recent studies suggest that people who have microplastics in their bodies are more likely to experience heart attacks, strokes and death from any cause.
The government "reduces the lives of children" by sacrificing plants, removing lips, and avoiding guilt.He said that if they spread their harmful products to the profiteers all their lives.
She appealed to the government to strengthen monitoring of pollution from industrial activities and review the country's waste import rules to protect public health.
Jakarta Post, Indonesia
