Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: s.karbalaei@alzahra.ac.ir
  • 2 Department of Quality Assurance, Kian Fara Pars Pharmaceutical Co, 4818179419, Sari, Iran
  • 3 Laboratory of Aquatic Toxicology, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 4 Horiba Scientific, Avenue de La Vauve, Passage Jobin Yvon, 91120, Palaiseau, France
  • 5 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
  • 6 School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
  • 7 Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
Mar Pollut Bull, 2020 Jan;150:110687.
PMID: 31699500 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110687

Abstract

Presence of microplastics (MPs) in a broad range of wild and cultured marine organisms is well-documented, but transfer mechanisms by which cultured organisms are contaminated with MPs is poorly understood. MP loads in three Malaysian commercial brands of fish meal were investigated. Chemical composition of extracted MP-like particles was confirmed using micro-Raman spectroscopy. Inorganic composition of MPs and pigment particles were assessed through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Out of 336 extracted particles, 64.3% were plastic polymers, 25% pigment particles, 4.2% non-plastic items, and 6.5% were unidentified. Fragments were the dominant form of MPs (78.2%) followed by filaments (13.4%) and films (8.4%). This study demonstrates that cultured organisms could be exposed to high levels of MPs via MP contaminated fish/shellfish used in fish meal production. Fish meal replacement with other sources of protein including meat meals and plant-based meals may mitigate MP exposure to cultured or farmed organisms.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.