Microplastics in bivalves cultured for human consumption

Marine microplastics spell big problems for future generations

“…In Sussarellu et al's study (5), there was no apparent translocation of the 2-to 6-μM-diameter microplastics across the gut, although translocation of microplastics occurs in other bivalves (11,13). In laboratory studies, early-life-stage oysters showed enhanced uptake of nanopolystyrene compared with micropolystyrene (14), which would tend to favor uptake across both gut barrier and cell membranes.…”

“…Oysters in the wild are evidently capable of ingesting microplastics with similar efficiency. A recent study of oysters cultured in the northeast Atlantic Ocean being sold for human consumption found them to contain an average of 0.47 ± 0.16 microplastics per gram −1 wet weight of tissue, with the most abundant particles and fibers in the size range of 11-15 μm (29.6%) and 16-20 μm (33.3%) (11). Based on this finding, an average dietary portion of six oysters (100 g) would contain around 50 plastic particles.…”

Microplastics present pollution puzzle

“…Last year, Belgian researchers studying seafood from German farms and French supermarkets found that an average portion of mussels contained about 90 microplastic particles, and an order of oysters would contain about 50 particles (15). However, Reinhardt Saborowski, an ecologist at the Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, points out that this does not necessarily mean that the creatures are harmed by their plastic passengers.…”

Micro-and macro-plastics in marine species from Nordic waters

“…Wild-caught mussels were found with the lowest numbers of microplastics, less than 0.5 particles per gram in Europe, whereas the highest numbers were observed in Newfoundland, Canada, which were about 100-fold higher than the levels measured in Europe (Mathalon & Hill, 2014). Cultivated oysters have also been found to contain microplastics from the Atlantic Ocean (Van Cauwenberghe et al, 2014), and microplastics have also been identified in the gills, and digestive tracts of crustaceans from coastal waters of the North Sea and Irish Sea including the brown shrimp, (Crangon crangon) and the Norway lobster, (Nephrops norvegicus) Murray & Cowie, 2011;Welden & Cowie, 2016). Microplastics have also been found in the sediment dwelling marine lugworm, Arenicola marina, from the North Sea with up to 11 particles per gram .…”