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Microplastics and Anthropogenic Particles in Recreationally Caught Freshwater Fish from an Urbanized Region of the North American Great Lakes
Summary
Researchers found microplastics in recreationally caught freshwater fish from the Great Lakes region near Toronto, with higher particle counts in fish from urbanized Humber Bay. The study confirms that eating freshwater fish is a pathway for human microplastic exposure. While the health effects of ingesting these particles are still unclear, the findings support the need for broader geographic monitoring and inclusion in human health risk assessments.
Our findings suggest that consumption of recreationally caught freshwater fish can be a pathway for human exposure to microplastics. The elevated number of particles observed in fish from Humber Bay highlights the need for large-scale geographic monitoring, especially near sources of microplastics. Currently, it is unclear what the effects of ingesting microplastics are for humans, but given that recreationally caught freshwater fish are one pathway for human exposure, these data can be incorporated into future human health risk assessment frameworks for microplastics. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13540.