A new study reveals that microplastics are present in six types of seafood commonly consumed by humans, including fish and shrimp. Microplastics are defined as plastic fragments smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter, invisible to the naked eye. They are believed to potentially have adverse effects on human health, such as cancer.
The research was conducted by scientists in Oregon, USA, who sampled a total of 182 fish from six different species. These six species—pink shrimp, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, black rockfish, cod, and Chinook salmon—are of 'economic or cultural importance' in Oregon, but of course, they cannot be said to represent global dietary habits.
Laboratory dissection and microscopic analysis showed that out of 182 individual samples, 180 samples contained 1,806 suspicious particles, a rate of 98.9%.
Scientists warn that these foreign fragments can 'spread from the ocean to our dinner plates,' and then be consumed by restaurant diners and home diners.
The study found that pink shrimp, which filter feed below the water surface, had the highest concentration of particles in their edible tissues.
Suzanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist at Oregon State University, said: 'What is very concerning is that microfibers can clearly transfer from the gastrointestinal tract to other tissues like muscle.' 'This has widespread implications for other organisms, and potentially includes humans.'