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      Microplastics in bivalves cultured for human consumption.

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          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.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Environ. Pollut.
          Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
          1873-6424
          0269-7491
          Oct 2014
          : 193
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Ghent University, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: lisbeth.vancauwenberghe@ugent.be.
          [2 ] Ghent University, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
          Article
          S0269-7491(14)00242-5
          10.1016/j.envpol.2014.06.010
          25005888
          96ae367e-bcbd-4619-88f8-1c34ea7ac52c
          Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
          History

          Crassostrea gigas,Human food chain,Ingestion,Microplastics,Mytilus edulis

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