Microplastics in mussels from the Boka Kotorska Bay (Adriatic Sea) and impact on human health

This study evaluated the microplastic abundance, shape, color, size and chemical composition of microplastic in mussels and estimated human exposure to microplastic through consumption of mussels collected from Boka Kotorska Bay (Adriatic coast of Montenegro). Microplastic was found in 53.3% of the studied mussels, with an average microplastic abundance of 2.53 ± 1.1 items/individual. Most of the ingested microplastic were fibers (63.7%), which were blue in color. FT-IR revealed that 98% of the examined particles were plastic, with seven polymers identified, of which polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate were the most abumdant polymers in mussels. Three of the polymers detected in mussels (polyamide, polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene) are classified as hazardous by the European Chemical Agency with warning or danger signals. With one serving of mussels, consumers would ingest 22.7 microplastic particles, while the annual dietary intake of microplastic via consumption of mussels was estimated at 99 MP/year.