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Large-scale evaluation of microplastic contamination in marine matrices (sediment and biota) along the french atlantic coast. Interreg Atlantic Frre LitterAT
Summary
Scientists tested beach sand and mussels all along France's Atlantic coast and found tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in nearly every single sample—mostly tiny fibers from things like clothing and packaging materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Since mussels and other seafood are commonly eaten, this widespread contamination matters because it's a direct pathway for microplastics to end up on our plates, and this study creates a much-needed baseline for tracking whether pollution levels rise or fall over time.
Plastic pollution has become a major global environmental concern, driven by increasing production and the widespread accumulation of plastic debris in natural ecosystems. Among these contaminants, microplastics (MPs), defined as particles smaller than 5 mm, represent a dominant and persistent fraction of marine pollution, raising significant ecological concerns. Understanding the extent and distribution of MPs in marine environments remains challenging due to the lack of standardized methodologies, which limits data comparability across studies. Addressing this issue is a key objective of the Interreg Free LitterAT project, which aims to develop harmonized protocols for sampling and analyzing MPs in marine matrices. In this context, a large-scale survey was conducted for the first time along the entire French Atlantic coastline. The MPs were extracted using protocols optimised and standardised within the project. A total of 24 stations were sampled within a coordinated timeframe (February 2025), enabling a consistent spatial assessment of MP contamination in both sediments and mussels. Microplastics were detected in all sediment samples, with concentrations ranging from 15 to 773 items/kg dry weight with a mean of 226 items/kg d.w. (standard deviation: ± 179 items/kg d.w.). Mussel samples also showed widespread contamination (except for two stations), ranging from 0 to 0.982 item/g w.w with a mean was of 0.305 item/g w.w. (±standard deviation: 0.271 items/g w.w.). Across both matrices, fibers were the predominant type of particles, followed by fragments. Overall, polyethylene (PE, in average >30%, p to ~80–83.9%) and polypropylene (PP, can up to ~50%) dominate most samples. Other polymers such as polystyrene (PS) (up to ~45–50%), polyester (up to ~63–75%), and polyamide (PA) (up to ~25–33%) may locally predominate, reflecting site-specific sources. These findings provide the first harmonized baseline of MP contamination at the scale of the French Atlantic coast. Beyond establishing this baseline, the study contributes to improving methodological consistency in MP monitoring and explores the potential of fluorescence-based techniques as efficient tools for MP detection. Ultimately, this work represents an important step toward a more integrated and standardized assessment of microplastic pollution at both national and European scales.