Microplastics Are Making Their Way Into The Seafood That We Eat
A recent study conducted by researchers at Portland State University (PSU) found that microplastics from packaging, clothing, and other plastic items are making their way into the fish we eat. The finding points to an urgent need for innovative solutions that reduce microfiber pollution in the environment.
The team expanded on earlier studies that identified microplastics in shellfish like oysters and razor clams to include finfish and crustaceans, which are more commonly part of the human diet.
Their goal was to better understand microplastic pollution in Oregon’s finfish and shellfish, focusing on how contamination differs across various levels of the food chain. They also sought to investigate how these variations influence the transfer of microplastics to consumers.
Led by Summer Traylor, a 2022 graduate with a master’s degree in environmental management, the researchers measured human-made particles found in the edible tissue of six species that hold economic or cultural significance in Oregon.
These species included the black rockfish, Chinook salmon, lingcod, Pacific lamprey, Pacific herring, and pink shrimp.
They compared particle levels across different food chain positions to understand how a fish’s place in the ecosystem impacted the type and amount of contamination in its edible tissue.
Additionally, they examined whether samples taken from research vessels were different from those sourced from supermarkets and seafood vendors.
The results revealed 1,806 potential particles in 180 of the 192 samples. Fibers were the most prevalent, followed by fragments and films.
Pink shrimp, which eat by filtering water close to the surface, had the highest amounts of particles in their edible tissues. In contrast, Chinook salmon had the least contamination, with black rockfish and lingcod falling in between.
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“We found that the smaller organisms that we sampled seem to be ingesting more anthropogenic, non-nutritious particles. Shrimp and small fish, like herring, are eating smaller food items like zooplankton,” explained Elise Granek, a professor of environmental science and management at PSU.
“Other studies have found high concentrations of plastics in the area in which zooplankton accumulate, and these anthropogenic particles may resemble zooplankton and thus be taken up by animals that feed on zooplankton.”
Now, the researchers expected that plastic packaging used during processing would add more contaminants, but this wasn’t true for all the species studied.
By rinsing the fish fillets and shrimp, similar to how people typically prepare seafood at home, they found that some of the contamination that might’ve been introduced during processing could be washed away.
Nonetheless, the study still highlights a troubling presence of particles in the edible tissues of marine and freshwater species from Oregon.
According to Susanne Brander, who helped examine and confirm suspected plastic particles in her lab for this study, it’s worrisome that microfibers are moving from the digestive tract into other tissues like muscle.
“This has wide implications for other organisms, potentially including humans, too,” she stated.
It’s important to clarify that the team isn’t suggesting people avoid seafood. Microplastics are already found elsewhere, such as in chicken, beef, veggie burgers, tofu, bottled water, beer, and honey.
Instead, they stressed the importance of conducting more research to understand how these particles enter muscle tissue, which is consumed by people, as well as advocating for policy changes to control human-made particles.
“This project established critical baseline data for West Coast fisheries stakeholders and highlighted how much we still do not know about these pervasive microplastic pollutants,” concluded Traylor.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Frontiers in Toxicology, visit the link here.
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