Seafood and molluscs would be more affected by microplastic pollution than fish.
- Shellfish and seafood have more microplastics than fish.
- These plastic particles ingested by seafood can impact human health when we eat them.
Oysters, mussels or scallops may be part of your holiday menus, if so, microplastics too. A study by the University of York (United Kingdom), indicates that these seafood products are the most contaminated by this pollution, compared to fish. The results of this research have been published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
The Asian coasts particularly concerned
According to the lead author of this study, Evangelos Danopoulos, one of the first steps in scientific research on microplastics must be the analysis of the quantities ingested. “We can do this by analyzing the amount of seafood and fish consumed and measuring the amount of microplastics present in these animals.” To achieve this, he and his team analyzed more than 50 studies carried out on the subject, between 2014 and 2020. According to their results, molluscs contain between 0 and 10.5 microplastics per gram, crustaceans between 0, 1 and 8.6 and fish between 0 and 2.9. According to these data, the molluscs of the Asian coasts are the most contaminated by this pollution.
An uncertain effect on the human body
“Microplastics have been found in different parts of the body such as the intestines and the liver, says Evangelos Danopoulos. Seafood, such as oysters, mussels or scallops are eaten whole, while for fish, only certain parts. Understanding which parts of molluscs, seafood and crustaceans are the most affected by contamination is essential, this will make it possible to carry out prevention with consumers. “No one fully understands the overall effect of microplastics on the human body, explains Evangelos Danopoulosbut the results of several scientific studies suggest that they cause harm.”
We are throwing away more and more plastic
The pollution of the seas and oceans by microplastics is linked to the poor management of plastic waste, then they degrade, and the microcompounds they contain can then end up in the water. By 2060, scientists estimate that the amount of plastic waste produced worldwide will reach 155 to 265 million metric tons per year.
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