Want to stay up to date with the latest news?

We would love to hear from you! Please fill in your details and we will stay in touch. It's that simple!

Customise Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

back to top
Thursday, April 3, 2025
HomeScienceResearch Reveals High Presence of Microplastics in Commonly Consumed Seafood: ScienceAlert

Research Reveals High Presence of Microplastics in Commonly Consumed Seafood: ScienceAlert

Just like a salmon returning to its birthplace, ocean plastic is making its way back to its creators.

In the Pacific Northwest – a region of North America known for its seafood – researchers have discovered particles from our waste and pollution swimming in the edible tissue of nearly every fish and shellfish they examined.


Out of the 182 individuals caught on the Oregon coast or sold in the state’s markets, only two fish, a lingcod and a herring, had no suspicious particles in their sampled slice of edible tissue.


The remaining fish, including rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, all contained ‘anthropogenic particles’, which consisted of fibers of dyed cottons, cellulose from paper and cardboard, and tiny fragments of plastic.


“It’s alarming that microfibers seem to move from the gut into other tissues such as muscle,” stated ecotoxicologist Susanne Brander from Oregon State University.


“This has significant implications for other organisms, potentially including humans.”


Recent observations have shown that individuals who consume more seafood tend to have more microplastics in their bodies, especially those who eat bivalves like oysters or mussels.


The duration for which these plastics remain in the body and their impact on human health remain uncertain and require urgent investigation.


Brander and her colleagues are not suggesting that people should completely stop consuming seafood, but it is crucial for consumers and scientists to comprehend the extent of exposure.


At this stage, human-generated particles of paint, soot, and microplastics are so prevalent that they are unavoidable. These pollutants are now present in the air, water, and in many meals aside from seafood.


“If we are utilizing products that release microplastics, those microplastics find their way into the environment and are ingested by organisms that we consume,” explained ecologist Elise Granek from Portland State University.


“What we put into the environment ultimately ends up on our plates.”

Fish Plastic Oregon
RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments