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Occurrence of microplastics in commercial marine dried fish in Asian countries
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Researchers examined 14 types of commercially available dried fish products from seven Asian countries and found microplastics present in all samples tested. The most common types were fibers and fragments, with polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene being frequently identified. The findings raise concerns about widespread human dietary exposure to microplastics through popular dried seafood products consumed across Asia.
The major risk of microplastics in marine environments is the bioaccumulation in marine organisms. Plastic ingestion by marine organisms has been investigated and recently more attention has been given to microplastics in seafood. However, it is seldom reported the occurrence of microplastics in marine commercial dried fish products available for human consumption. Here, we report the occurrence of microplastics in 14different marine dried fish products from seven Asian countries. Microplastics were observed in most dried fish, with fibers representing ~80% of the total-microplastics. The major plastic polymers, identified using Micro-Raman spectroscopy, included polyethylene (35%), polyethylene terephthalate (26%), polystyrene (18%), polyvinyl chloride (12%), and polypropylene (9%). The highest count, in either per individual (1.92 ± 0.12) or per gram of dried fish (0.56 ± 0.03), were found in Etrumeus micropus from Japan. Marine dried fish, which are typically eaten whole, may contribute to the ingestion of microplastics by humans, posing potential health risks especially in Asian countries. Further studies are needed to identify the occurrence of smaller sized microplastics and nanoplastics and their potential health impacts.
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