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Microplastics in China's commercial crayfish (Procambarus clarkii): Tissue-specific characteristics and potential human health risks
Original title: Microplastics in China’s commercial crayfish (Procambarus clarkii): Tissue-specific characteristics and potential human health risks
Summary
Good news for crayfish lovers: researchers found no microplastics in the actual meat of crayfish sold across China. However, tiny plastic fibers were found in the "guts" (hepatopancreas and intestines) — the parts often eaten alongside the meat in dishes where the whole crayfish is cooked and consumed. If you eat those organs regularly, this could add up to a meaningful yearly dose of microplastics, so sticking to just the tail meat may be the safer bet.
Microplastic (MP) ingestion via crayfish consumption can lead to potential health risks among consumers. This study comprehensively characterized MP contamination in Procambarus clarkii and assessed the associated health risks. To this end, 76 packages of retail samples were collected from 20 major crayfish-producing cities across Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi. Notably, no MPs were detected in the crayfish flesh. However, MPs were detected in the hepatopancreas (3-3.7 items/individual) and the midgut and hindgut (1.5-2 items/individual), which are usually commonly consumed along with the flesh. The MPs predominantly appeared to be transparent fibers, 0.11-0.50 mm in size. The major polymer types identified were polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyacrylonitrile. Although no MP intake occurred when only crayfish flesh was ingested, leading to negligible health risks, when the hepatopancreas, midgut, and hindgut were also consumed, the annual dietary intake and estimated dietary intake of MPs were calculated to be 1768.95-2257.36 items/capita/year and 30.66-39.12 items/kg/year, respectively. Furthermore, the corresponding polymer risk index values ranged from 702.38 to 1162.48, reflecting hazard risk levels III-IV and suggesting a potential risk to human health. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive characterization of MP contamination in Procambarus clarkii in China and highlights the health risks associated with consuming different crayfish tissues. These findings improve our understanding of human exposure to MPs through crayfish consumption and provide valuable evidence for developing strategies for the management of MP contamination in aquatic food products and mitigating associated health risks.