title: Microplastics in bivalves cultured for human consumption.
abstract: Microplastics are present throughout the marine environment and ingestion of these plastic particles (<1 mm) has been demonstrated in a laboratory setting for a wide array of marine organisms. Here, we investigate the presence of microplastics in two species of commercially grown bivalves: Mytilus edulis and Crassostrea gigas. Microplastics were recovered from the soft tissues of both species. At time of human consumption, M. edulis contains on average 0.36 ± 0.07 particles g(-1) (wet weight), while a plastic load of 0.47 ± 0.16 particles g(-1) ww was detected in C. gigas. As a result, the annual dietary exposure for European shellfish consumers can amount to 11,000 microplastics per year. The presence of marine microplastics in seafood could pose a threat to food safety, however, due to the complexity of estimating microplastic toxicity, estimations of the potential risks for human health posed by microplastics in food stuffs is not (yet) possible.
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: lisbeth.vancauwenberghe@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Lisbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Cauwenberghe
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Colin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Janssen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D049896:Crassostrea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D049880:Mytilus edulis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012758:Shellfish / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Crassostrea gigas; Human food chain; Ingestion; Microplastics; Mytilus edulis