Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China; Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2021 Oct 15;420:126541. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126541. Epub 2021 Jun 30.
Microplastics are prevalent in marine environments and seafood and thus can easily end up in human diets. This has raised serious concerns worldwide, particularly in Hong Kong where the seafood consumption per capita can be three times higher than the global average. This study focused on the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis, a popular seafood species which is subject to a high risk of contamination by microplastics due to its filter-feeding nature. P. viridis was collected from five mariculture sites in Hong Kong and assessed for its body load of microplastics using an automated Raman mapping approach. Microplastics were found in all sites, with an average of 1.60-14.7 particles per mussel per site, or 0.21-1.83 particles per g wet weight. Polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate were detected among the microplastics, mainly as fragments or fibres in the size range of 40-1000 µm. It was estimated that through consumption of P. viridis, the population in Hong Kong could ingest up to 10,380 pieces of microplastics per person per year. These estimated rates were high compared to the values reported worldwide, suggesting the potential human health risk of microplastics in Hong Kong and adjacent areas.
微塑料广泛存在于海洋环境和海鲜中，因此很容易进入人类食物链。这一问题引起了全球范围内的严重关注，尤其是在中国香港，人均海鲜消费量是全球平均水平的三倍。本研究以翡翠贻贝（Perna viridis）为研究对象，这是一种受欢迎的海鲜，由于其滤食性，很容易受到微塑料污染的影响。从香港的五个海水养殖场采集了翡翠贻贝，并使用自动化拉曼映射方法评估其体内的微塑料负荷。结果发现所有地点都存在微塑料，每个贻贝的平均载微塑料量为 1.60-14.7 个/只，或 0.21-1.83 个/克湿重。在微塑料中检测到了聚丙烯、聚乙烯、聚苯乙烯和聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯，主要为 40-1000μm 大小的碎片或纤维。据估计，通过食用翡翠贻贝，香港的人口每年每人可能会摄入多达 10380 个微塑料。与全球报告的值相比，这些估计值较高，表明香港和周边地区存在微塑料对人类健康的潜在风险。
