2018_EJRNL_PP_JIA_TENG_1.pdf
Terbatas Lili Sawaludin Mulyadi
» ITB
Terbatas Lili Sawaludin Mulyadi
» ITB
Microplastics are an emerging concern in the marine environment due to their small size; they can be ingested by
aquatic organisms, especially filter-feeding organisms, such as oysters. The presence of microplastics in seafood
may pose a threat to food safety, and there is an urgent need to evaluate the potential risks of microplastics to
human health. This study quantified the microplastics in oysters from 17 sites along the coastline of China. Qualitative attributes, such as shape and size, were also determined under a microscope. Additionally, the polymer
types were identified using Fourier-Transform Infrared Micro-Spectroscopy (?-FT-IR). The results showed that
the average abundance of microplastics in oyster was 0.62 items/g (wet weight) or 2.93 items/individual. Additionally, 84% of the sampled oysters had inhaled microplastics, indicating the high prevalence of microplastic pollution in different coastal areas of China. Fibers were the most common shape (60.67%), and the most common
size was b1500 ?m, accounting for 81.89% of the total microplastics. The ?-FT-IR analysis identified eight different
polymers, and the main polymeric types of microplastics were cellophane (CP), polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Our results suggest the widespread prevalence of microplastics in cultured oysters
from different coastal areas of China with similar or lower abundances than other countries. In addition, our results exhibited regional characteristics of high microplastics abundance in southern coastal area of China and low
microplastics abundance in northern China. Further investigations are warranted to examine microplastics contamination in other seafood species from different geographical sites in coastal area of China