Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics, Additives, and Plasticizers in Freshwater Bivalves: Preliminary Research of Biomonitoring

Researchers placed freshwater mussels in three rivers in central Italy to study how they accumulate microplastics, plasticizers, and additives over time. They found small microplastics and chemical additives in both the gills and digestive tracts of the mussels, with polyamide being the most common polymer detected. The study demonstrates that freshwater bivalves can serve as effective biological monitors for tracking microplastic pollution in rivers.

2023 Water 17 citations
Review Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on freshwater bivalves (review)

This review synthesized knowledge on how microplastics affect freshwater bivalves, covering ingestion, tissue accumulation, physiological stress responses, and reproductive impacts. Bivalves are shown to be sensitive bioindicators of microplastic contamination in rivers and lakes.

2024 Биология внутренних вод 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a freshwater mussel (Anodonta anatina) in Northern Europe

Researchers confirmed microplastic occurrence in the freshwater duck mussel Anodonta anatina in a Swedish river, finding microplastics in all mussels examined with higher concentrations downstream of urban wastewater treatment plants compared to a rural upstream location.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine and freshwater mussels as biomonitors for microplastic concentrations: A comparative laboratory study

Researchers compared marine and freshwater mussels as biomonitors for microplastic pollution in a controlled laboratory study, evaluating whether these filter-feeding bivalves can serve as a complementary monitoring tool to sampling nets — particularly for small microplastics under 25 µm that nets tend to miss.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Distribution of environmental microplastics in different tissues of indigenous freshwater bivalves (Unio spp.): a case study from the Sejenane River in Northern Tunisia

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in three species of freshwater mussels from a river in Northern Tunisia, analyzing particles in gill and digestive gland tissues. They found microplastics present in all species, suggesting these filter-feeding bivalves accumulate particles from their environment. The study demonstrates that freshwater mussels can serve as effective biological indicators for monitoring microplastic pollution in river ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Bivalves with potential for monitoring microplastics in South America

Researchers tested three South American mussel species and found that all of them accumulated microplastics in their tissues, feces, and pseudofeces, suggesting these bivalves can serve as reliable bioindicators — living monitors — for microplastic contamination in coastal waterways.

2021 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 29 citations
Review Tier 2

Influence of Microplastics on Freshwater Bivalves (Review)

This review analyzed studies on microplastic uptake, bioaccumulation, and biological effects in freshwater bivalves, which serve as both pollution sentinels and vectors for microplastic entry into food webs. The authors found consistent evidence for particle accumulation causing physiological stress, while calling for more standardized exposure protocols to improve cross-study comparability.

2024 Inland Water Biology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mikroplastens intåg i den limnologiska miljön - Allmän dammussla (Anodonta anatina) innehåller mikroplast

This Swedish study exposed freshwater mussels (Anodonta anatina) to microplastics and examined uptake and potential health effects, finding that mussels ingest microplastics and that higher exposures affected their physiology. The study contributes to understanding microplastic impacts on freshwater bivalves that are important for ecosystem function and serve as indicators of water quality.

2017
Review Tier 2

Peran Organisme Sessile Sebagai Bioindikator Mikroplastik Di Ekosistem Pesisir: Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review synthesizes evidence on how sessile coastal organisms — particularly bivalves like mussels and oysters — accumulate microplastics through their filter-feeding behavior, making them useful biological indicators of contamination. The review found that fibers dominate across most species and locations, and that polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET are the most common polymer types. Because these organisms are widely consumed by humans and are sensitive to environmental changes, they serve as both ecological sentinels and a potential pathway for microplastic exposure in human diets.

2026 Jurnal Biogenerasi
Article Tier 2

Mytilus spp. as sentinels for monitoring microplastic pollution in Norwegian coastal waters: A qualitative and quantitative study

Researchers collected mussels from 15 sites along Norway's coastline and found microplastics at nearly every location, with remote Arctic sites containing surprisingly high levels — often more than sites near major cities. The study confirms that mussels are useful sentinels for monitoring microplastic pollution in coastal waters, with fibers making up 83% of all particles found.

2018 Environmental Pollution 263 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of the impact of aquaculture facilities on transplanted mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis): Integrating plasticizers and physiological analyses as a biomonitoring strategy

Researchers assessed microplastic impacts on mussels transplanted near aquaculture facilities by integrating plasticizer analysis with physiological biomarkers, finding that proximity to aquaculture infrastructure increased both particle ingestion and chemical plasticizer exposure.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracking the microplastic pollution in the freshwater environments of southeastern Türkiye: Usage of Unio delicatus, Unio Terminalis and Dreissena polymorpha as bioindicators of microplastics

This study examined microplastic contamination in three freshwater mussel species collected from rivers and a dam lake in southeastern Turkey, finding relatively low average concentrations (under 1 microplastic per individual) but confirming that these mussels do accumulate plastic particles from their surroundings. Because mussels are filter feeders with a fixed lifestyle, they reflect local pollution levels well, making them useful sentinels for tracking microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems. The research adds to growing evidence that microplastics are now present even in inland freshwater species far from the ocean.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and Nanoplastic Contamination and Its Effects on Freshwater Mussels Caged in an Urban Area

Researchers placed freshwater mussels at various sites around Montreal to measure microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in urban waterways. They found that mussels at rainfall overflow sites and downstream of the city center accumulated the most plastic particles, with nanoplastics correlating strongly with oxidative damage markers in tissue. The study suggests that tire wear and road erosion from stormwater runoff are important sources of plastic contamination for aquatic organisms.

2023 Journal of Xenobiotics 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of microplastics in the bivalve mollusc Unio tumidus under experimental and field exposures

Researchers found that the freshwater bivalve Unio tumidus accumulates microplastics in its tissues under both laboratory and field conditions, with accumulation rates dependent on particle concentration and exposure duration, confirming this species as a viable biomonitor for freshwater MP pollution.

2022 Studia Biologica 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial patterns of microplastics in freshwater bivalves (Bivalvia: Unionidae and Sphaeriidae) relative to municipal wastewater effluent discharges

Microplastics were found in freshwater bivalves (fingernail clams and mussels) collected along 155 km of Ontario's Grand River, with significantly higher concentrations downstream of municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges, confirming WWTPs as key sources of microplastic contamination in filter-feeding freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis as a Biomonitor for Microplastic Pollution

Researchers assessed the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis as a bioindicator for microplastic pollution, focusing on improving quantification of small microplastics below 25 µm that conventional methods miss. Mussels were found to accumulate microplastics efficiently across size ranges, validating their use as biomonitors while highlighting the need for improved analytical methods.

2025
Article Tier 2

Filtration, assimilation and elimination of microplastics by freshwater bivalves

The freshwater bivalve Anodontites trapesialis was assessed as a sentinel organism for microplastic contamination in the South American Pantanal region, one of the world's largest tropical wetlands. The study found that the bivalve filtered, assimilated, and eliminated microplastics, confirming its utility as a bioindicator in freshwater systems with limited prior microplastic data.

2020 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Binational survey using Mytilus galloprovincialis as a bioindicator of microplastic pollution: Insights into chemical analysis and potential risk on humans

Researchers conducted surveys of microplastic contamination in mussels from coastal sites across Morocco and Tunisia, finding plastics in 79 to 100 percent of all samples. The most common types were polyethylene and polypropylene fibers and fragments, with chemical analysis revealing the presence of associated toxic additives. The study estimates that regular mussel consumers in these regions face meaningful microplastic intake, highlighting a potential human health concern.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficacy of freshwater pearl mussel (Lamellidens marginalis) as a biomonitoring tool for assessing microplastic pollution

Laboratory experiments showed that freshwater pearl mussels readily ingested microplastic particles, which then accumulated in their organs and tissues and caused measurable histological damage. This is relevant because freshwater mussels are widely used as biomonitors of water quality, and the findings confirm they can serve as indicators of microplastic pollution while also showing that this pollution harms them.

2023 Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

First occurrence and composition assessment of microplastics in native mussels collected from coastal and offshore areas of the northern and central Adriatic Sea

Microplastics were detected for the first time in native mussels from coastal and offshore areas of the northern and central Adriatic Sea, with chemical analysis confirming common plastic polymers and offshore populations also affected. The study establishes a baseline for microplastic contamination in an important Mediterranean commercial shellfish species.

2019 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of microplastics in bivalves within the Chandragiri River in South-Western India

This study investigated microplastic accumulation in bivalves from the Chandragiri River in South-Western India. Researchers found that these filter-feeding organisms had accumulated microplastics of various types and sizes, underscoring the capacity of bivalves to serve as bioindicators for monitoring microplastic pollution in river ecosystems.

2024 Anthropocene Coasts 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Elucidating the consequences of the co-exposure of microplastics jointly to other pollutants in bivalves: A review

This review examines studies on the combined effects of microplastics and other pollutants in bivalves, finding that co-exposure often modifies individual toxicant effects and highlighting bivalves as important sentinel species for monitoring complex environmental contamination.

2022 Environmental Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in four bivalve species and basis for using bivalves as bioindicators of microplastic pollution

Researchers found microplastics in 80% of shellfish samples (scallops, mussels, oysters, and clams) collected across four seasons in Qingdao, China. PVC and rayon fibers were the most common plastic types, with different shellfish species accumulating different sizes and types of particles. Since these shellfish are commonly eaten by people, the findings highlight a direct route for microplastics to enter the human diet through seafood.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 257 citations
Article Tier 2

Asian clam Corbicula fluminea as potential biomonitor of microplastics and metal(oid)s in a Patagonian River

Researchers examined the Asian clam as a potential biological indicator of microplastic pollution in a Patagonian river and found microplastics in the soft tissues of all sampled clams. Fibers were the dominant type detected, suggesting textile-related contamination sources. The study suggests that these widely distributed clams could serve as effective biological monitors for tracking microplastic and metal pollution in freshwater ecosystems.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 5 citations