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Microplastics in fish meals: An exposure route for aquaculture animals
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Researchers analyzed fish meal samples from ten major producing countries worldwide and found microplastic contamination in all samples tested, averaging 5.5 particles per gram. Fibres were the most common shape, with cellophane, polypropylene, and PET being the dominant polymer types. The study estimates that aquaculture animals fed contaminated fish meal ingest significant quantities of microplastics, identifying fish meal as an important but previously overlooked exposure route.
Microplastics (MPs) are widely detected in many marine fishes. Fish meal contaminated by MP may constitute a potential threat to aquaculture animals. This study analyzed the characteristics of MP in fish meals from ten major fish meal-producing countries around the world. Microplastics were isolated from fish meal, examined under a microscope and identified using Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (μ-FT-IR). The results showed that MP pollution was widely detected in fish meal samples from ten countries. The average MP abundance of fish meals was 5.5 ± 1.6 items/g, with higher levels in China, Peru and Myanmar, which might be related to the high pollution level in fish and their habitats. In isolated MPs, fibers were the main shape type, and the most common size was 500-1000 μm. A total of 6 polymers were identified, with cellophane (CP), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene teraphalate (PET) being the most common types. The total amount of MP ingestion from fish meals by different cultured animals was also estimated, with Atlantic salmon Salmon salar ingesting the largest number of MPs (9361 items), and red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii ingesting the smallest number of MPs (19 items). Thus, fish meal constitutes an important exposure route of MPs for aquaculture animals. The results of this study will provide a basis to assess the potential health risks of MPs in fish meals around the world.
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Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in four varieties of commercial fish meal and then tracked the transfer of those particles to cultured common carp fed on the meal. They found microplastics present in all fish meal varieties, predominantly fragments of polypropylene and polystyrene, with particles transferring to the fish gastrointestinal tract and gills. The study highlights fish meal as a previously overlooked pathway by which microplastics can enter aquaculture and potentially the human food supply.
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