Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western US coast in a recent study, researchers claim.
The study, led by Portland State University (PSU), identified “anthropogenic particles,” a material produced or modified by humans in six different fish edible tissues.
According to a PSU press release, it contained black rockfish, ring cods, chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific Lampley and pink shrimp.
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Specifically, a peer-reviewed study found that microplastics – “small particles that have fallen out of clothing, packaging and other plastic products” – 180 out of 182 seafood samples, purchased in store. Or, Oregon fishing boats, the release mentioned.
Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western US coast in a recent study, researchers claim. (ISTOCK)
The highest concentration of particles was produced in pink shrimp, and the Chinook salmon contained the lowest.
“We found that the small organisms we sampled seemed to be ingesting more artificial and nutrient-free particles,” says Elise Graneck, a researcher and co-author of the study at Microplastics. said in the release.
New research found bottled water containing tens of thousands of “small plastic particles.”
“Shrimps and small fish, like herring, eat small foods like zooplankton. Other studies have found high concentrations of plastic in areas where animal plastic accumulates, and these artificial particles are It is similar to zooplankton, so it may be consumed by animals that feed on it. Zooplankton.”
“What we put into the environment will be back on our plates.”
“We are very concerned that microfibers appear to move from the intestine to other tissues, such as muscles,” said Suzanne Blander, an ecotoxicologist and associate professor at Oregon State University's Agricultural Sciences.
The findings were published in the Frontier of Toxicology.
Is it safe to eat seafood?
The study authors do not recommend that people avoid seafood in particular, as microplastics are widely discovered in other foods, Graneck said in the release.
“If we're disposing of products that release microplastics, those microplastics go into the environment and are being featured in what we eat,” she said.
Microplastics – “Small particles that have been removed from clothing, packaging products and other plastic products” were found in 180 of 182 seafood samples. (ISTOCK)
“What we put into the environment will be back on our plates.”
High prevalence of microplastics in seafood samples automates that consuming seafood poses an immediate health risk, according to Dr. Bing Wang, associate professor of food safety risk assessment at the University of Nebraska Lincoln University. It doesn't mean anything like that.
“'Safety' is the relative term for toxicology,” Wang told Fox News Digital. “Toxicity depends on the dose and duration of exposure. There is currently a lack of clear understanding of the linkage between oral intake of microplastics and nanoplasty and side effects in human health.”
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Experts agree that the nutritional benefits of seafood, such as high-quality proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, play an important role in a healthy diet.
“There is no current evidence to suggest that seafood consumption poses an immediate risk to human health,” she added.
Source of contamination
In this study in particular, Wang said it is important to recognize that nanoplasty, beyond microplastics, is also present in the environment and food supply.
“Unlike microplastics, which can pass through the digestive system with minimal absorption, nanoplasty is small enough to overcome biological barriers, including the intestinal lining.
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PSU's findings found that 80% of the microplastics detected between samples came from clothing and fiber fiber, but there are other sources of contaminants.
Plastic production has increased by about 8.7% per year since the 1960s, according to Andrew Ortiz, a doctoral student in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska Lincoln University.
The study authors do not recommend that people avoid seafood in particular, as microplastics are widely discovered in other foods. (ISTOCK)
“Many of the pollution comes from everyday human activities such as inappropriate disposal, dispersal and inadequate waste management systems of plastic products, which means that plastic enters the waterway and ultimately reach the ocean. “It leads to,” Ortiz told Fox News Digital.
Wang emphasized that avoiding microplastics altogether would be challenging.
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“They are spreading in the environment and exist in a variety of food sources, not just seafood,” she said.
“This study is the first of its kind in the Oregon area, but its findings are consistent with global studies on microplastic contamination in seafood,” Wang said. “In fact, the levels reported in this study are within the global average.”
“There is no current evidence to suggest that seafood consumption poses an immediate risk to human health.”
“Given that humans already consume microplastics from multiple sources, including water, air and packaged food, the presence of microplastics in seafood is not as an isolated risk, but in this broad context. should be considered in,” she added.
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The PSU survey was funded by the Oregon Sea grant at Oregon State University.
