Center for Food Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, South Korea; Department of Food Technology, Safety, and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Aug;181:113846. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113846. Epub 2022 Jun 25.
The accumulation of microplastics in marine organisms is an emerging concern. Due to trophic transfer, the safety of seafood is under investigation in view of the potential negative effects of microplastics on human health. In this study, market samples of Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) from South Korea were segregated into two groups of considerably different size (p < 0.05), namely small clams with shell length of 40.69 ± 3.97 mm, and large clams of shell length 51.19 ± 2.86 mm. Comparative profiling of the number, size, shape, and polymer type of microplastics were performed using μFTIR imaging and Nile red staining. Overall, μFTIR detected only 1559 microplastics while 1996 microplastics were counted based on staining from 61 Manila clams (30 small and 31 large), leading to an overestimation of 18 to 75 %. Comparable microplastics concentration, based on μFTIR, were observed at 2.70 ± 1.66 MP/g or 15.64 ± 9.25 MP/individual for the small samples, and 3.65 ± 1.59 MP/g or 41.63 ± 16.90 MP/individual for the large ones (p > 0.05). Particle diameters of 20-100 μm was the most dominant, accounting for 44.6 % and 46.5 % of all microplastics from the small and large groups, respectively. Particles, with a circularity (resemblance to a circle) value between 0.6 and 1.0, were the most prevalent, followed by fragments and fibers. At least 50 % of microplastics from the small and large samples were polystyrene, making it the most abundant polymer type. Despite the substantial difference in the size of the animals, only a weak to moderate correlation was observed between microplastics content and the physical attributes of the clams such as shell length and weight, (soft) tissue weight, and total weight (Spearman's coefficient < 0.5). The estimated intake of microplastics by the Korean population was 1232 MP/person/year via small clams, 1663 MP/person/year via large clams, and 1489 MP/person/year via clams independent of size.
海洋生物中微塑料的积累是一个新出现的问题。由于营养转移，考虑到微塑料对人类健康的潜在负面影响，海鲜的安全性正在受到调查。在这项研究中，将韩国市场上的马尼拉蛤（Ruditapes philippinarum）分为两组，大小差异显著（p<0.05），壳长分别为 40.69±3.97mm 的小蛤和壳长 51.19±2.86mm 的大蛤。使用 μFTIR 成像和尼罗红染色对微塑料的数量、大小、形状和聚合物类型进行了比较分析。总体而言，μFTIR 仅检测到 1559 个微塑料，而根据 61 个马尼拉蛤（30 个小蛤和 31 个大蛤）的染色结果，共计数到 1996 个微塑料，导致高估了 18 到 75%。基于 μFTIR，小样本的微塑料浓度为 2.70±1.66MP/g 或 15.64±9.25MP/个，大样本的微塑料浓度为 3.65±1.59MP/g 或 41.63±16.90MP/个（p>0.05）。20-100μm 粒径的微塑料最为常见，分别占小蛤和大蛤所有微塑料的 44.6%和 46.5%。圆形度（与圆形的相似程度）值在 0.6 到 1.0 之间的颗粒最为常见，其次是碎片和纤维。小蛤和大蛤样本中至少有 50%的微塑料为聚苯乙烯，是最丰富的聚合物类型。尽管动物的大小差异很大，但微塑料含量与蛤的物理属性（如壳长和重量、（软）组织重量和总重量）之间仅观察到弱到中度的相关性（Spearman 系数<0.5）。通过小蛤，韩国人口每年摄入的微塑料估计为 1232MP/人/年，通过大蛤为 1663MP/人/年，通过大小无关的蛤为 1489MP/人/年。
