0
Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Microplastics Contamination in the Edible Fish Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from the Selvampathy Wetland of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 2023 7 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Krishnan Anandhan, Said Hamid Thangal, Arumugam Yogeshwaran, Saravanan Kaaran, T. T. Ajith Kumar, Thirunavukkarasu Muralisankar

Summary

Microplastics were found in the guts, gills, and muscle tissue of tilapia caught from a wetland in Tamil Nadu, India, with fibres making up 95% of particles and polyethylene the dominant polymer. Because tilapia is a widely eaten fish, these findings raise direct food-safety concerns about microplastic transfer to human consumers, and the study points to urban discharge and agricultural runoff as the likely pollution sources.

The present study investigated the microplastics (MPs) contamination in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, gills and muscle of the Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus sampled from the Selvampathy Lake of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. MPs abundance was found in 10 to 28, 8 to 27, and 4 to 12 particles and their size ranged between 4.4 and 210, 4.6 to 180, and 4.5 to 194 μm in the GI tract, gills and muscle, respectively. MPs were dominantly shaped as fibres (95%) and fragments (5%) with the following colour pattern of blue > black > pink > transparent > and others. Extracted MPs polymer nature were polyethylene (54%), polyamide (38%) and polypropylene (8%). The present study reveals that the edible fish O. mossambicus had MPs that can be transferred to consumers. Moreover, urban discharges, including domestic wastes, agricultural and rainwater runoff, might be possible MPs sources to the studied wetland.

Sign in to start a discussion.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in the aquaculture icon Oreochromis mossambicus: Prevalence, characteristics, and comprehensive overview

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in the Mozambique tilapia, a widely farmed fish species in India, and found microplastics present in the digestive tracts of sampled fish. The most common types were fibers and fragments made of polyethylene and polypropylene. The study raises concerns about microplastic transfer through aquaculture to human consumers, given the growing importance of tilapia farming and the rising levels of plastic pollution in Indian freshwater systems.

Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Microplastic Contamination in Commercially Edible Fresh Water and Marine Fishes Bought from Fish Markets, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

This Indian study examined microplastic contamination in freshwater and marine fish sold in markets in Tamil Nadu, finding plastic particles in multiple commercially important species. People who regularly eat fish from contaminated markets are likely consuming microplastics as part of their diet.

Article Tier 2

Abundance, characteristics, and risk assessment of microplastics in indigenous freshwater fishes of India

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in five widely consumed freshwater fish species from India and found plastic particles in all specimens, with fibers being the most dominant type. Evidence of microplastics in edible fish tissue indicates translocation from the gut, suggesting a pathway for human exposure through consumption. Risk assessment showed that while microplastic abundance posed a low quantitative risk, the polymer types identified indicated a high hazard potential for the fish species studied.

Article Tier 2

Microplastic Analysis in Catfish Mystus gulio (Hamilton 1822) and Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus 1758) from Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in the gastrointestinal tracts of two commercially important fish species, catfish (Mystus gulio) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), collected from the Thamirabarani River in Tamil Nadu, India, characterizing MP morphology, color, and size using microscopy.

Article Tier 2

Assessment and quantification of microplastic contamination in fishes with different food habits from Beel wetlands

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in fish from freshwater wetlands in India, finding particles in the digestive tracts of all 90 fish sampled across different feeding types. Carnivorous fish accumulated the most microplastics, followed by omnivores and then herbivores, suggesting trophic transfer plays a role. The most common particles were fibers in the 100 to 500 micrometer size range, with polyethylene and nylon as the dominant polymer types.

Share this paper