Papers

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Article Tier 2

Microplastic Content in Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from South Carolina, USA

Researchers analyzed microplastic content in oysters, water, and sediments from four estuaries in South Carolina, USA, quantifying contamination levels across these matrices in the commercially important Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica.

2024 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Low concentrations and low spatial variability of marine microplastics in oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in a rural Georgia estuary

A survey of oysters from a rural Georgia estuary found relatively low microplastic concentrations and limited spatial variation compared to more urbanized coastal areas, suggesting that land use and population density influence plastic contamination levels in shellfish. The findings provide baseline data for this understudied region and support oysters as useful biomonitors.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Low incidence of microplastic contaminants in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg) from the Salish Sea, USA

Researchers examined wild Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from the Salish Sea in Washington State and found a relatively low incidence of microplastic contamination, with approximately 63% of oysters containing microparticles at an average of about 1.75 particles per individual. The results suggest that microplastic burden in this commercially important shellfish may be lower than reported in more heavily polluted regions.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Baseline assessment of microplastics in commercially important marine bivalves from New York, U.S.A.

Researchers established the first baseline assessment of microplastics in eastern oysters and hard clams from New York coastal waters, finding microplastic contamination across all sampling sites and providing reference data for the northeast U.S. Atlantic region.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantity and types of microplastics in the organic tissues of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica and Atlantic mud crab Panopeus herbstii from a Florida estuary

Eastern oysters and mud crabs from a Florida estuary were found to contain microplastics in their soft tissues, with fibers as the dominant type, while water samples confirmed ongoing microplastic inputs from the surrounding watershed. The study documents microplastic bioaccumulation in both a commercially important bivalve and a key benthic predator in a US Atlantic coast estuary.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Realistic environmental exposure to microplastics does not induce biological effects in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

Pacific oysters were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene and polypropylene fragments for 10 days followed by depuration, with microplastics detected in tissues but no significant effects on clearance rate, tissue integrity, antioxidant defense, or DNA damage. The results suggest that realistic environmental concentrations of these larger fragments may not cause measurable biological harm to oysters.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence and Distribution of Microplastics in Oysters from the Mississippi Sound

Scientists measured microplastic levels in oysters from ten locations across the Mississippi Sound along the Gulf Coast. They found microplastics in every sample, with concentrations ranging from about 5 to 31 particles per gram of oyster tissue, and plastic particles were present in all tissue types examined. Since oysters are filter feeders consumed by both wildlife and people, the findings point to microplastics as a concern for both ecosystem and food safety.

2023 Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in oysters Saccostrea cucullata along the Pearl River Estuary, China

Microplastics were found in oysters from multiple sites along the Pearl River Estuary in China, with concentrations varying by site and correlating with local microplastic levels in surrounding water. The results indicate that farmed and wild oysters in this heavily polluted estuary accumulate microplastics that could reach consumers.

2018 Environmental Pollution 322 citations
Article Tier 2

Contamination by microplastics in oysters shows a widespread but patchy occurrence in a subtropical estuarine system

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in oysters across a subtropical estuarine system and found widespread but highly variable levels of pollution. Higher contamination generally correlated with areas of greater human activity, though unexpectedly high levels were also found in remote marine protected areas. The study found that 94 percent of oyster samples contained microplastics, suggesting these bivalves could serve as indicators of environmental contamination.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of Microplastics in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica in the Chesapeake Bay: The Impact of Different Digestion Methods on Microplastic Properties

Eastern oysters from three Chesapeake Bay sites were found to contain microplastics, with hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide digestion methods yielding the highest recovery rates, while nitric acid produced satisfactory results with better microplastic preservation.

2022 Toxics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comparison of Methods to Quantify Nano- and/or Microplastic (NMPs) Deposition in Wild-Caught Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) Growing in a Heavily Urbanized, Subtropical Estuary (Galveston Bay, USA)

Researchers compared multiple analytical methods to quantify nano- and microplastic contamination in wild eastern oysters from Galveston Bay, Texas. The study found up to 200 microplastic particles in individual oysters, with polymer composition varying by location within the bay, and demonstrated that different detection methods can yield complementary information about contamination levels.

2025 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characterization of microplastics in wild and cultured blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from Nova Scotia

Researchers quantified and characterized microplastics in wild and cultured blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from Nova Scotia, assessing how plastic contamination varies between farmed and wild bivalves in Canadian coastal waters.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in coastal farmed oyster (Crassostrea angulata) shells: Abundance, characteristics, and diversity

Researchers detected microplastics embedded in the shells (not just soft tissue) of farmed oysters (Crassostrea angulata) off the coast of Taiwan, finding microplastics throughout the shell layers with an average abundance that showed diversity in morphology and polymer type. The discovery that microplastics can become incorporated into bivalve biominerals represents a novel pathway for plastic particle persistence beyond the organism's lifespan.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Oyster as sentinels of recent microplastic contamination: Insights from a transplant experiment

Researchers used oyster transplantation experiments to study how microplastics accumulate and are excreted in sentinel organisms under field-realistic conditions. The study found that bivalves can serve as effective biomonitors of recent microplastic contamination in coastal ecosystems. The findings help fill knowledge gaps about the dynamics of microplastic uptake and clearance in marine filter feeders.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Interrelationship of microplastic pollution in sediments and oysters in a seaport environment of the eastern coast of Australia

Microplastics were found in sediments and oysters in and around a major Australian seaport, with concentrations higher in port environments than reference sites and correlated with local shipping and industrial activity. The study demonstrates that seaports are significant local sources of microplastic contamination in coastal ecosystems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 172 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative and qualitative determination of microplastics in oyster, seawater and sediment from the coastal areas in Zhuhai, China

Researchers quantified microplastics in oysters, seawater, and sediment along the Zhuhai coastline, finding 0.14–7.90 items/g in oyster soft tissue, 10–27.5 items/L in seawater, and 0.053–0.26 items/g in sediment, with polyethylene fibers as the dominant type across all matrices.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance of microplastics at and near a shellfish aquaculture farm: An eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) transplant study

Researchers studied microplastic abundance at a shellfish aquaculture farm in Connecticut by transplanting eastern oysters between the farm and a nearby recreational bed. They found that oysters from both locations contained similar levels of microplastics, suggesting that aquaculture operations may not significantly increase microplastic loads compared to surrounding waters. The study provides useful baseline data on microplastic exposure in commercially farmed shellfish.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 12 citations
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

Quantifying Spatial and Temporal Trends of Microplastic Pollution in Surface Water and in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica for a Dynamic Florida Estuary

Researchers monitored microplastic pollution in surface waters and tissues of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica across 35 sites in Florida's Indian River Lagoon over one year using microscopy and ATR-FTIR, quantifying spatial and temporal variability in MP abundance and identifying factors influencing distribution patterns in this dynamic estuarine system.

2022 Environments 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Lipidomic alterations in oysters caused by environmentally relevant exposure to microplastics and estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals

Researchers examined how environmentally relevant exposure to microplastics and estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals affected lipid profiles in oysters. The study found that estrogens were more bioavailable than microplastics in oysters, and that the amplification of endocrine disruptor effects by smooth-surfaced polyethylene microplastics was relatively low in molluscs.

2026 Ecotoxicology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the European native oyster, Ostrea edulis, to monitoring pollution-related patterns in the Solent region (United Kingdom)

This is the first study to examine microplastic contamination in the European flat oyster, finding microplastics present in every oyster sampled from the Solent region in southern England. Researchers detected particles in both gill and digestive tissues, with fibers being the most common type. The study raises concerns about shellfish as a pathway for human microplastic exposure, since oysters are commonly consumed as whole organisms.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatio-temporal contamination of microplastics in shellfish farming regions: A case study

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in a major French shellfish farming region over one year, finding that mussels and oysters contained confirmed microplastics with polyethylene and polypropylene as dominant polymer types, varying by site and season.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in filter-feeding oyster Saccostrea cuccullata: Novel insights in a marine ecosystem

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in the filter-feeding oyster Saccostrea cuccullata collected from five coastal sites. They found microplastics present in all oyster specimens, with fibers and fragments being the most common types detected. The study highlights how filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate microplastics from surrounding waters, raising concerns about contamination in marine food chains.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of High-Density Polyethylene Microplastics on the Survival and Development of Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Larvae

Researchers found that high-density polyethylene microplastics negatively affected the survival and development of Eastern oyster larvae, a keystone reef-building species in the Chesapeake Bay, raising concerns about microplastic pollution impacts on estuarine ecosystems.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 6 citations