Occurrence and Characterization of Microplastics in Gilthead Seabream ( Sparus aurata ) Reared in the Sardinian Coastal Environments, Italy: Implications for Consumer Exposure.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional environmental surveillance study graded by design analogy, not clinical CEBM.
PubMed 42511226 · doi:10.3390/foods15142479
What was done
Researchers evaluated microplastic contamination in 60 Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) collected from four coastal aquaculture facilities in Sardinia, Italy. Gastro-intestinal tract and muscle tissue samples were digested with 10% potassium hydroxide and analyzed using stereomicroscopy and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR).
What was found
Microplastics were detected in 25% of the sampled fish. Polymers were found in 22% of gastro-intestinal tracts and 8% of muscle tissues. The mean abundance of microplastics was 0.3 ± 0.56 per fish overall and 1.2 ± 0.41 per positive fish. Polypropylene (primarily blue, red, and green) was the dominant polymer, representing 72% of detected plastics.
Why it matters
The findings confirm that farmed seabream can ingest and translocate microplastics into edible muscle tissue, demonstrating a pathway for human dietary exposure.
Limits
The sample size was small (n = 60) and limited to four sites in Sardinia. The abstract reports no direct human exposure measurements, toxicological data, or health outcomes.
Cited by
- supports Microplastics in fish accumulate primarily in the gastrointestinal tract and intestines.