Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Microplastic concentrations in two Oregon bivalve species: Spatial, temporal, and species variability

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in Pacific oysters and Pacific razor clams from 15 sites along the Oregon coast. They found microplastics in organisms from all sites, with whole oysters averaging about 11 pieces per individual, mostly fibers. This is the first study to document microplastics in Pacific razor clams and provides valuable coast-wide baseline data for comparing contamination across species, seasons, and locations.

2019 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Pacific Northwest Bivalves: Ecological Prevalence, Harvester-Consumer Exposure, and Aquarium Exhibit Outcomes

Researchers quantified microplastics in Pacific oysters and razor clams from 15 coastal sites in Oregon, finding widespread contamination across the Pacific Northwest coast. The study also assessed exposure risks to seafood harvesters and consumers, contributing to understanding of how coastal plastic pollution reaches human food supplies.

2000
Article Tier 2

Exploring microplastics in commercial bivalve species and in bivalve aquaculture waters: Insights from the southern Pacific

Microplastics were detected in multiple commercially sold bivalve species (such as mussels and oysters) and in nearby inland and coastal waters. Because bivalves are widely eaten by humans, the findings raise direct concerns about microplastic dietary exposure through seafood consumption.

2025 Water Biology and Security 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Pnw, Bivalves, and the Impact on Oceanic Ecosystems and Human Health

This review discusses how microplastics accumulate in bivalves such as oysters and mussels in Pacific Northwest coastal waters, how they move up the food chain, and why seafood consumers in the region may face elevated exposure risks. The paper synthesizes the threat to both marine ecosystem stability and human health from microplastic bioaccumulation in commercially important shellfish.

2023 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics in six bivalve species (Mollusca, Bivalvia) commercially exploited at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Central America

Researchers found microplastics in all six commercially exploited bivalve species sampled from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, with prevalence ranging from 74% to 100% across species, raising concerns about human exposure through seafood consumption in Central American coastal communities.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Concentrations in Crassotrea gigas: Establishing a Baseline of Microplastic Contamination in Oregon’s Oyster Aquacultures

This study established baseline levels of microplastic contamination in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) grown for human consumption in a coastal aquaculture operation. Establishing baselines is essential for tracking changes in contamination over time and assessing the human health implications of eating contaminated shellfish.

2017 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in bivalves and their habitat in relation to shellfish aquaculture proximity in coastal British Columbia, Canada

Researchers compared microplastic concentrations in Manila clams and Pacific oysters grown at commercial shellfish aquaculture sites versus reference beaches in coastal British Columbia, finding that proximity to aquaculture operations influenced microplastic levels in both bivalves and surrounding sediments.

2019 Aquaculture Environment Interactions 105 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors influencing the microplastic contamination of bivalves from the French Atlantic coast: Location, season and/or mode of life?

This study characterized microplastic contamination in blue mussels and Pacific oysters collected from the French Atlantic coast, examining how season, location, and organism size influence contamination levels. The findings provide a baseline for monitoring bivalve contamination and informing seafood safety assessments.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 294 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 bivalves cultured for human consumption

Researchers examined two commercially farmed bivalve species, mussels and oysters, and found microplastics in the edible tissues of both. Mussels contained an average of 0.36 particles per gram of tissue, while oysters had 0.47 particles per gram. Since these shellfish are consumed whole without removing the gut, the study suggests they represent a direct pathway for human ingestion of microplastics.

2014 Environmental Pollution 1992 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in commercial bivalves from China

Researchers analyzed microplastics in commercially sold bivalves from China, finding contamination across multiple species and geographic origins, with implications for human dietary microplastic exposure through shellfish consumption.

2015 Environmental Pollution 960 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics impacting shellfish?

Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.

2024
Article Tier 2

A comparison of microplastics in farmed and wild shellfish near Vancouver Island and potential implications for contaminant transfer to humans

Researchers compared microplastic concentrations in farmed and wild blue mussels, Manila clams, and Pacific oysters near Vancouver Island, finding significantly higher microplastic numbers in farmed shellfish than their wild counterparts.

2018 VIURRSpace (Vancouver Island University) 35 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

An examination of the occurrence and potential risks of microplastics across various shellfish

Researchers compared microplastic contamination levels in commercial shellfish from northern (Qingdao) and southern (Xiamen) China, finding microplastics in 70-100% of samples. The study assessed potential human health risks from consuming contaminated shellfish, with microplastic abundances varying across species and geographic locations.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Exposure by Razor Clam Recreational Harvester-Consumers Along a Sparsely Populated Coastline

Researchers quantified microplastic burdens in Pacific razor clams collected from eight harvest sites along the Olympic Coast, Washington, and combined this with questionnaire data from 107 recreational harvesters to estimate annual microplastic ingestion from clam consumption. The study provided baseline contamination data for a culturally and economically important shellfish species and estimated the dietary microplastic exposure of coastal harvester-consumers.

2020 Frontiers in Marine Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic distribution and composition in mudflat sediments and varnish clams (Nuttallia obscurata) at two estuaries of British Columbia, Canada: An assessment of potential anthropogenic sources

This study characterized the distribution, composition, and abundance of microplastics in mudflat sediments and in the tissues of varnish clams, a commercially harvested bivalve. High microplastic loads in both sediment and clam tissue raised concerns for seafood consumers and intertidal ecosystem health.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 5 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

Microplastics contamination in bivalves from the Daya Bay: Species variability and spatio-temporal distribution and human health risks

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in six species of bivalves from Daya Bay, China, finding microplastics present in 87 to 93% of individuals sampled. Sediment-dwelling bivalves had higher microplastic levels than water-dwelling species, and the types of microplastics found in the shellfish matched those in the surrounding seawater and sediment. A risk assessment based on polymer hazard levels indicated that microplastic contamination in these bivalves may pose health risks to humans who consume them as seafood.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic prevalence, diversity and characteristics in commercially important edible bivalves and gastropods in relation to environmental matrices

Researchers assessed microplastic abundance and characteristics in the tissues of commercially important bivalves and gastropods from the southwest coast of India, finding MPs across all five species examined and raising concerns about seafood safety.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic on our plate, also in our shops…

Belgian researchers investigated whether microplastics are actually present in wild and farmed bivalves under field conditions, rather than only at the unrealistically high concentrations used in lab studies. They found microplastics in both wild and cultured mussels and oysters, providing the first direct evidence that these seafood species accumulate microplastics at environmentally relevant levels.

2014 Flanders Marine Institute (Flanders Marine Institute)
Article Tier 2

Determination of microplastics in commercial bivalves and estimation of exposure among population in Pasir Penambang, Kuala Selangor

Researchers measured microplastic abundance and characteristics in commercial bivalves from Pasir Penambang, Malaysia, and estimated human dietary exposure, finding that regular consumption of locally sold shellfish poses a notable microplastic ingestion risk.

2023 UiTM Institutional Repositories (Universiti Teknologi MARA)
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastics on bivalve mollusks: A bibliometric and scientific review

This review examines how microplastics affect bivalve shellfish like mussels, oysters, and clams, which are important both ecologically and as human food sources. Microplastics disrupt bivalve feeding, growth, reproduction, and immune function, and can also carry other toxic pollutants into their tissues. Since bivalves filter large volumes of water and are often eaten whole by humans, they represent a direct pathway for microplastic transfer from the ocean to our bodies.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, composition, and distribution of microplastics in intertidal sediment and soft tissues of four species of Bivalvia from Southeast Brazilian urban beaches

Researchers found 100% microplastic contamination in intertidal sediments and four bivalve species from urbanized Brazilian beaches, identifying polypropylene, polyethylene, and PET polymers in organisms commonly consumed by humans.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations