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The abundance and characteristics of microplastics in commonly consumed shellfish in the Jiangsu coastal region of China

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Abstract

Microplastic pollution is ubiquitous in the marine environment and the consumption of shellfish containing microplastics may pose a risk to human health. This study investigated the occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in three commonly consumed shellfish in the coastal region of Jiangsu Province, China. The average abundance of microplastics in shellfish varied from 0.33 to 9.33 items/individual (0.06–0.92 items/g, wet weight of soft tissue). Microplastic abundance in Jiangsu was relatively low compared to studies from other regions of China and worldwide. Synthetic fibers (66.20%) were predominant and included rayon (34.84%) and polyester (23.23%), indicating that the majority of particles originated from the discharge of clothing fibers in domestic sewage. Transparent (66.20 %) particles were the most common, particle size was generally less than 500 μm (62.30%), and abundance decreased as the particle size increased. The average annual intake of microplastics by Jiangsu coastal residents via the consumption of common bivalves was estimated to be 1088.64 items/person/year. This study provides data to support ecological and health risk assessments for microplastics in the Jiangsu coastal region.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20200812, BK20200515), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42007381), and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFA0607803).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coastal Disaster and Protection, Ministry of Education & College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Teng Wang

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Baojie Li

  3. School of Design Art & Media, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

    Duorong Wang

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  1. Teng Wang
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Contributions

Teng Wang: conception and design, experiment, data analysis, and interpretation of results. Also, drafting the article and revising it. She approved the final version to be submitted for publication.

Baojie Li: revising of thesis conception, design and interpretation of results, and also, revising the article. He approved the final version to be submitted for publication.

Duorong Wang: Experiments and data analysis. She approved the final version to be submitted for publication.

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Correspondence to Baojie Li.

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Wang, T., Li, B. & Wang, D. The abundance and characteristics of microplastics in commonly consumed shellfish in the Jiangsu coastal region of China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 60753–60764 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14977-1

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