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Microplastic Pollution in Commercially Important Seafood from Chandipur, Bay of Bengal, East Coast of India: A Detailed Risk Analysis
Summary
Scientists tested popular fish and shrimp from India's Bay of Bengal coast and found tiny plastic particles (microplastics) not just in the guts, but also in the muscle tissue — the part people actually eat. Some of these plastics, including PVC and PET (common in pipes and bottles), were found at levels considered hazardous, and contamination was worse during monsoon season, likely due to rain washing plastic waste into the sea. This matters because eating seafood is a direct way microplastics and their chemicals could enter our bodies, and this study is among the first to measure that risk in this specific region.
Microplastic (MP) pollution in marine ecosystems is a matter of concern worldwide, as their ingestion and accumulation in marine fauna pose a significant health risk associated with MP pollution. This detailed study is the first of its kind in the Chandipur coastal waters, Bay of Bengal to comprehensively evaluate MP pollution, and associated pollution load in commonly consumed edible fish and shrimp species. Samples of Harpadon sp., Setipinna taty, Coilia dussumieri, Johnius belangerii, Pampus sp., Arius arius, and Penaeus monodon were collected from Chandipur, Odisha, East coast of India and examined using wet peroxide oxidation, followed by FTIR spectroscopy. A relatively higher concentration of MPs was observed in the muscle tissues (4628 ± 11,702 particles/g of tissue) compared to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) (4296 ± 9687 particles/g of tissue). The abundance of MPs was maximum in Coilia dussumieri and minimum in Arius arius. Comparatively higher retention of MPs (11,309 ± 15,448 particles/g of tissue) was obtained in the monsoon season than in the pre- and post-monsoon. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of mostly fiber- and fragment-type MPs, in addition to black fibers. The commonly encountered size class was 1–50 µm with 63.4%. FTIR analysis revealed eighteen different types of MPs and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and cellulose acetate (CA) with occurrence percentage between 91.6 and 100%, whereas polyamide (PA) was the most uncommon and least found in all the samples. The Polymer Hazard Index (PHI) revealed the presence of extremely hazardous polymers such as polyurethane (PU), PVC, and PET in tissues, and Pollution Load Index (PLI) values indicate low pollution levels.