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Microplastics in decapod crustaceans: Accumulation, toxicity and impacts, a review
Summary
This review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in decapod crustaceans like shrimp, crabs, and lobsters, which are widely consumed as seafood. Studies have found microplastics accumulating in their gills, digestive organs, and gut, with experimental evidence showing oxidative stress, immune damage, and reproductive toxicity. The findings raise concerns about potential human exposure to microplastics through seafood consumption.
The presence of microplastics in the aquatic environment poses a serious threat not only to aquatic organisms but also to human beings that consume them. The uptake and effects of microplastics have been studied in almost all groups of aquatic organisms. This review details the different aspects of microplastics exposure in an ecologically and economically important group of crustaceans, the Decapods. A majority of Decapod crustaceans such as prawns, shrimp, crabs, lobsters and crayfish are consumed as seafood and play important roles in food chains and food webs. Numerous studies are available on the accumulation of microplastics in tissues such as the gills, hepatopancreas and gastrointestinal tract in these organisms. Experimental studies have also highlighted the toxic effects of microplastics such as oxidative stress, immunotoxicity and reproductive and developmental toxicity in them. This review also summarizes the ecological impacts and implications in human beings as well as lacunae with regard to microplastic uptake in Decapods.