Plastic production has exponentially increased since the 1950s and reached
322 million tons in 2015. It is expected that the production of microplastic will
continue increasing to at least double the production of 2015. As documented in
laboratory and field studies, marine organisms of commercial importance for fisheries
and aquaculture are affected by microplastics ingestion not only due to the additives
used in their manufacture but also because microplastics act as absorbents of persistent
organic pollutants (POPs) from the environment. The ingestion of microplastics by
aquatic organisms pose a risk to marine environment and food safety. Although
microplastics are a human health hazard, their effects on seafood is attenuated by the
extraction of the gastrointestinal tract. However, shellfish and other species of
crustaceous consumed whole pose a particular concern for human exposure. This
chapter discusses the problems associated with microplastics ingested by marine
organisms. The most common methods used for sampling, identification, and
quantification of microplastics are mentioned and some analytical methods to
determine plastic additives and POPs adsorbed on the microplastics in different marine
environment matrices are described. Microplastic dietary intake and the limitations for
food safety risk assessment are also addressed. Since 2004, many types of research
have focused on this topic and analyzed microplastics in various environmental
matrices. However, the development of standardized methods for the screening,
identification, detection, and quantification of microplastics in marine environment
remains a challenge.
Keywords: Additives, Analytical methods, Environmental matrices, Food safety,
Microplastics, Risk assessment, Seafood.
