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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Seaweed as a sink for microplastic contamination: Uptake, identifications and food safety implications
ClearSeaweeds as a major source of dietary microplastics exposure in East Asia
This study found that seaweed is a major and previously overlooked source of dietary microplastic exposure in East Asia, with Chinese consumers estimated to ingest over 17,000 microplastic particles per year through seaweed alone. Seaweed-derived exposure accounted for up to 45.5% of total dietary microplastic intake, surpassing all other food sources. These findings are important for the millions of people in East Asian countries who regularly consume kelp and nori as dietary staples.
Microplastics contamination in seaweed: impacts on human health and mitigation approaches
This review found that microplastics contaminate many types of edible seaweed, with fibers and fragments being the most common forms. Since seaweed is consumed worldwide, these microplastics can enter the human body and potentially cause oxidative damage, cell toxicity, and neurotoxicity. More research is needed to fully understand the health risks of eating microplastic-contaminated seaweed.
Rehashing Our Insight of Seaweeds as a Potential Source of Foods, Nutraceuticals, and Pharmaceuticals
This review summarizes research on seaweed as a source of beneficial compounds including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and other health-promoting substances. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because seaweeds grow in marine environments increasingly contaminated with microplastics. Understanding the health benefits of seaweed also requires considering the potential risks of microplastic contamination in these marine food sources.
Food safety in the seaweed food supply chain : Inventory of production, consumption and chemical and physical hazards
This Dutch food safety report inventories the chemical and physical hazards — including microplastics — present in seaweed cultivated for human consumption. As the seaweed food market grows, understanding contamination risks including plastic particles is important for protecting consumer health.
Exploring Seaweed Cultivation in the Marine Environment and Its Interaction with Microplastic
This review examines interactions between seaweed cultivation in marine environments and microplastic pollution, exploring how seaweed can both accumulate microplastics and potentially be used in bioremediation strategies to reduce plastic contamination in coastal waters.
Microplastics in the commercial seaweed nori
Researchers quantified microplastic contamination in commercial nori (edible seaweed) at different stages of processing, finding that microplastics were present in both raw and processed products. The results suggest that nori can accumulate microplastics from its marine growing environment and retain them through processing into consumer products.
Microplastics in seafood: Implications for food security, safety, and human health
This review examines how microplastics contaminate seafood -- from fish and shellfish to seaweed -- and what that means for food safety and human health. Marine organisms accumulate microplastics along with the harmful chemicals and antibiotic-resistant bacteria attached to them, creating multiple exposure risks when people eat seafood. With global seafood consumption rising sharply, the authors argue that microplastic contamination in the food supply deserves urgent attention from food safety regulators.
Microplastic contamination in commercially packaged edible seaweeds and exposure of the ethnic minority and local population in Mexico
Researchers analyzed commercially packaged edible seaweed products sold at ethnic food stores in Mexico and found microplastic contamination in all samples tested. The most common types were fibers and fragments made of polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene. The study raises concerns about dietary microplastic exposure for ethnic minority communities and local populations who regularly consume imported seaweed products.
The Prevalence of Microplastics in Farmed Seaweed Kappaphycus Alvarezii in Panguil Bay, Philippines
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in farmed seaweed from Panguil Bay, Philippines, and confirmed 1,298 microplastic particles across two farming sites. Fibers and filaments were the most common shapes, with rayon and polyester as the dominant polymer types, and washing seaweed before consumption reduced but did not eliminate microplastic content.
In-depth analysis of microplastics reported from animal and algae seafood species: Implications for consumers and environmental health
Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in several seafood species and algae from the Bay of Biscay in Spain and estimated how much people might consume through their diet. They found that eating animal-based seafood carried a higher risk of microplastic ingestion than eating seaweed. The findings highlight that seafood is a meaningful source of human microplastic exposure, with implications for both consumer and environmental health.
Ecosystem Services Provided by Seaweeds
This review summarizes the many ecosystem services that seaweeds provide, including food production, carbon storage, water filtration, and habitat for marine life. Seaweeds can also help combat pollution by absorbing heavy metals and other contaminants from the water. The review is relevant to microplastics research because healthy seaweed ecosystems may play a role in filtering microplastics from ocean water, and damage to these ecosystems could worsen marine plastic pollution.
Microplastics Content of Seaweeds in the Mariculture Potential Zone at The Southwest of Coastal Bawean Island
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in seaweeds from Bawean Island, Indonesia, finding that even sheltered coastal waters contained microplastics in red, green, and brown seaweed species collected from mariculture potential zones.
Impact of Nanoplastics on the Functional Profile of Microalgae Species Used as Food Supplements: Insights from Comparative In Vitro and Ex Vivo Digestion Studies
Researchers assessed how polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics affect microalgae species used as food supplements, both before and after simulated digestion. The study found that nanoplastics persisted through the digestion process, altered particle behavior in the microalgae medium, and significantly increased total phenolic content, raising concerns about food safety when plastic contamination occurs.
Microplastic profusion in food and drinking water: are microplastics becoming a macroproblem?
This review examined the prevalence of microplastics in food and drinking water, assessing trophic transfer along the food web and evaluating whether microplastic contamination in human dietary sources constitutes a growing public health concern.
Micro- and nano-plastic contamination in foods and potential risk to human health
This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about micro- and nanoplastic contamination in food, covering sources, occurrence, and analytical detection methods. Researchers found that while various foods, especially seafood, contain measurable levels of microplastics, the health risks to humans remain difficult to assess due to inconsistent research methods. The study calls for standardized approaches to better evaluate dietary exposure and potential health impacts.
Occurrence and pathways of microplastics, quantification protocol and adverseeffects of microplastics towards freshwater and seawater biota
This review examines the occurrence, pathways, and adverse effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine organisms, highlighting how these particles can enter the food chain through seafood consumption. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion causes health hazards in aquatic animals and points to gaps in understanding how microplastics affect human health along the food supply chain.
Assessment of Brown Algae (Phaeophyceae) and Sediment Collected from Sanur Coastal Waters Based on Bioaccumulation Factors and Human Health Risks Related to Microplastic Ingestion Exposure
This study from Sanur Beach, Bali, found microplastics in brown algae and sediments at all sampled sites, with line-shaped particles dominant and the algae Padina australis accumulating more microplastics than Sargassum aquifolium. Bioaccumulation factors were low (less than 1), suggesting limited transfer from sediment to algae, but the findings still indicate that coastal seaweed — consumed by humans — is a potential dietary exposure route to microplastics.
Microplastic contamination in edible sea salt from the largest salt-producing states of India
Microplastics were found in edible sea salt samples from the major salt-producing states of India, with crystal salt containing lower concentrations than powdered salt, and fibers and fragments as the dominant types, confirming that sea salt is a source of human dietary microplastic exposure in South Asia.
Microplastic contaminations in edible seaweed Caulerpa racemosa across Indonesian tropical seawaters related to land uses: Implication on human health
This study measured microplastic contamination in the edible seaweed Caulerpa racemosa harvested from both inland and island environments in Indonesia, finding higher contamination in inland coastal areas with greater urbanization. The results suggest land use and proximity to human activity are key drivers of MP contamination in edible seaweeds.
Charting the microplastic menace: A bibliometric analysis of pollution in Malaysian mangroves and polypropylene bioaccumulation assessment in Anadara granosa
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in Malaysian mangrove ecosystems and tested how a common shellfish species accumulates polypropylene particles. They found microplastics in all sediment and water samples, with the shellfish readily taking up fiber-shaped particles. The estimated dietary intake suggests that consumers of these shellfish could ingest hundreds of microplastic particles per year, highlighting food safety concerns.