Microplastics and bisphenol A in the edible mussel Perna perna from southeastern Brazil: occurrence and dietary exposure assessment

Abstract Edible bivalves are an important route of human exposure to environmental contaminants because they are consumed whole and accumulate particulate and chemical hazards from coastal waters. This study assessed microplastics (MPs) and bisphenol A (BPA) in the brown mussel Perna perna from Espírito Santo Bay, southeastern Brazil, and estimated dietary exposure under average- and high-consumption scenarios. Sixty mussels were analyzed: 30 for MPs and 30 for BPA, of which 18 yielded valid quantitative BPA results. MPs were detected in all analyzed mussels, with a mean abundance of 1.44 ± 1.19 MPs g⁻ 1 wet weight (ww). Fibers, mainly blue and black, were the predominant morphotype of MPs. BPA concentrations ranged from 4.80 to 7.25 μg kg⁻ 1 ww. Under average consumption, BPA intake was below the current European Food Safety Authority tolerable daily intake (EFSA TDI), with an estimated daily intake of 0. 0118 ng kg⁻ 1 bw day⁻ 1 and a hazard quotient (HQ) of 0.06. Under high consumption, intake increased to 2,46 ng kg⁻ 1 bw day⁻ 1 , corresponding to an HQ of 12.30 and exceeding the EFSA TDI of 0.2 ng kg⁻ 1 bw day⁻ 1 . Together, the detection of MPs and BPA in separate subsets of the sampled mussel population provides complementary evidence of particulate and chemical plastic-related contamination in edible shellfish, without implying a direct association between the two contaminants. These findings indicate that edible mussels may be a relevant dietary exposure route to plastic-related contaminants, especially for the frequent consumers, and support the inclusion of emerging contaminants in food safety surveillance of coastal shellfish.