What Are We Eating? A Spotlight on the Microplastics in our Food

What Are We Eating? A Spotlight on the Microplastics in our Food

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Introduction

The world faces an ever-growing amount of plastic pollution and waste. Worldwide plastic production increased exponentially from 2.3 million tons in 1950, to 448 million tons by 2015, and this figure is expected to double by 2050.1 Much of this plastic ends up in our environment– from our oceans, lakes and rivers to our soil, air and food.2 The plastic in our environment comes in many shapes and sizes, and is composed of different types of plastics.3 Research scientists are working quickly to better characterize these particles and understand how exposure to, and ingestion of microplastics may impact human health, but there are still many questions we need more data to be able to answer.

One of the critical components in this research is gathering data on the prevalence of microplastics already in our food chain, including the prevalence of microplastics in seafood. In this article Dr. Tarun Anumol, PhD., Director, Global Environment & Food Markets for Agilent Technologies to answers questions and discusses the study of microplastics in our food chain, and shares a unique look at microplastics prevalence in fish and marine life.

What are Microplastics?

First of all - what are microplastics, where do they come from and why are they a problem?

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles, which measure between 1 μm to 5 mm in size.4 They are a by-product of our societal reliance on plastics and can be deliberately manufactured to be small or can result from originally larger manufactured plastic items that have degraded.5 Microplastics are a significant concern for our environment and our health for several reasons. Firstly, they have become pervasive in our environment and are rapidly increasing in abundance.6 Secondly, we don’t know how to get rid of them. Microplastics are largely made up of non-biodegradable material and because of their small size we don’t yet have an effective way to remove them from our environment. Finally, although we know that microplastics can have a detrimental impact on marine and wildlife, we are limited in our understanding of the long-term impact of microplastics and the effect they will have on our health and the health of our planet. As microplastic pollution of this scale is a relatively new phenomenon, we don’t have enough data to understand what its full impact will be on our global environment, its ecosystems, and human health.7 

Why is the study of microplastics an important topic of research and discussion? 

While we know that microplastics have a negative impact on our oceans and marine life, there are widespread concerns about how these negative consequences will compound over time.8 Destruction to our environment is a problem in itself, but plastic is not only polluting our environment; it is also polluting our bodies. Studies have found evidence that microplastics are making their way inside humans.9 Agilent’s mission and expertise is in enabling research into critical issues like this that may have an impact on human health. 

Microplastic Prevalence in Seafood and Ongoing Research 

How are these plastics getting into our bodies?

Microplastics are now spread throughout our environment, so there are a number of ways they can enter the human body. Plastic particles have been found in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we consume.10 As many of these plastics are too small to see, many people don’t understand the extent of their presence in day-to-day life. Research has shown, for example, that the average American may be inadvertently ingesting as many as 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles per year through their food alone.11 

Agilent has collaborated on research looking at the presence and character of microplastic particles in our marine life – including species that people often eat. The microplastic particles that are found in our seafood have entered the ocean, often as larger pieces of plastic, and degraded the point that they can be absorbed by fish and mollusks we eat, or are carried up the food chain to larger species.12 

Can you share a bit more about the research being done to further investigate this issue of microplastics in our seafood?

We have so many unanswered questions on ocean plastics and how they are impacting marine life and the food we get from the ocean. Some of the research that Agilent has supported investigates the extent to which microplastics are occurring in fish and shellfish as well as characterizing the nature of these plastics – such as their ability to absorb and desorb chemical pollutants into their environment. 

Agilent solutions were used in one of the first studies exploring the use of pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (pyr-GC/MS) for polymer identification of microplastics extracted from the stomach content of marine fish from the Texas Gulf Coast.13 The study examined a variety of particles including 30 fibers, 3 fragments, and 10 spheres, with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) appearing as the most commonly identified polymers.14   

Additionally, a study was released last year on microplastic contamination levels in commercial mussels and cockles collected on the Channel coastline in France. The team used an Agilent 7890 A, coupled with an Agilent 7000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, and was able to detect between 0.76 ± 0.40 and 2.46 ± 1.16 microplastics (MP)/individual and between 0.15 ± 0.06 and 0.74 ± 0.35 MP/g of tissue wet weight.15  

One of our partners in Academia – Dr. Bradley Clarke’s group at the University of Melbourne – is also conducting critical research on the ability of microplastics to absorb and desorb chemical pollutants from their surrounding environment and transfer them throughout the food chain. They have published research which indicates that microbeads, which are a form of microplastic, are capable of transferring pollutants from water sources to fish that have ingested them.16 

What does this mean for people and marine life? Do microplastics pose a risk to human health if they are ingested? 

Microplastics have been recorded in more than 100 aquatic species, including 12 of the 25 most important species for global marine fisheries, so it is safe to say they are ending up on our plates.17,18 Plastic pollution has proven harmful to marine life, due to entanglement which can cause drowning or ingestion which can lead to starvation or suffocation,19 but regarding what this means for human health, the answer is less clear. 

As mentioned before, microplastics vary in their composition – some plastics are toxic, and some are suspected to be endocrine disrupters.20 Further, some plastics can absorb and desorb contaminants from their environment, which could pose a threat to human health and marine life if they are being consumed.21 Ultimately, we need more research and data to understand the implications and long-term effects they will have.

Conclusion and Call to Action

What is being done to solve this issue? Have you seen an increase in global attention and awareness on this topic? 

There is substantial ongoing research on microplastics in our environment, in our food, and what they mean for our health and safety. At the end of last year, following the publication of an analysis of microplastics in drinking water, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement calling for “further assessment of microplastics in the environment and their potential impacts on human health.”22  

Currently, there is no uniform global requirement to protect human food safety against plastic contamination.23 While international organizations have released suggested guidance on microplastic regulation, and certain countries have taken steps of their own on a regional basis, such as the U.S. Microbead Free Waters Act of 2015, which prohibits the formulation and distribution of cosmetics that intentionally contain plastic microbeads, a more unified global response is needed given the urgency of the issue. You can learn more about standards and regulations of microplastics by viewing educational materials available from Agilent and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 

 

About Tarun Anumol

Tarun Anumol is the Director for Global Environment and Food Markets at Agilent Technologies. Previously, he was an LC-MS Applications Scientist at Agilent, focused on developing analytical methods for trace contaminants on LC-MS/MS and LC-Q/TOF in environmental and food matrices. Prior to joining Agilent, Tarun graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemical & Environmental Engineering from the University of Arizona with a focus on water treatment strategies for water reuse and identification of emerging contaminants in the environment. Tarun has an MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Chemical Engineering.

 

References

  1.  National Geographic. The World’s Plastic Pollution Crisis Explained. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/plastic-pollution/. Accessed: May 2020
  2. ibid, National Geographic.
  3. National Ocean Service. What are microplastics? Available at: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html. Accessed: May 2020
  4. Frias, J. P. G. L.; Nash, R. Mar. Pollut. Bull.2019, 138, 145–147
  5. GESAMP. Sources, Fate and Effects of Microplastics in the Marine Environment. Available at: http://www.gesamp.org/publications/reports-and-studies-no-90. Accessed: May 2020.
  6. Plastic Oceans. The Facts. Available at: https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/. Accessed: May 2020.
  7. Galloway, T. S. Marine Anthropogenic Litter. 2015, 13, 343–366.
  8. The Guardian. How worried should we be about microplastics. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/02/how-worried-should-we-be-about-microplastics Last accessed: May 2020
  9. Ibid, Galloway, 2015.
  10. National Geographic. You Eat Thousands of Bits of Plastic Every Year. Available at:  https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment/2019/06/you-eat-thousands-bits-plastic-every-year. Accessed: May 2020.
  11. Chemistry World. Humans consuming thousands of microplastic particles in their food every year. Available at: www.chemistryworld.com/news/humans-consuming-thousands-of-microplastic-particles-in-their-food-every-year/3010600.article. Accessed: May 2020
  12. Ibid, Chemistry World.
  13. Marine Pollution Bulletin. Pyr-GC/MS analysis of microplastics extracted from the stomach content of benthivore fish from the Texas Gulf Coast Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X18306982 Accessed: May 2020
  14. Ibid, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2018.
  15. Environmental Pollution. Microplastic contamination and pollutant levels in mussels and cockles collected along the channel costs. Volume 250, July 2019, Pages 807-819 Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749119306414 Accessed: May 2020
  16. Environmental Science and Technology. 2016, 50, 4037-4044. Chemical Pollutants Sorbed to Ingested Microbeads from Personal Care Products Accumulate in Fish. Available at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b06280 MicrobeadsfromPersonalCareProductsAccumulateinFish.pdf
  17. National Geographic. We Know Plastic Is Harming Marine Life. What About Us? Assessed at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/ Accessed: May 2020
  18. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States. The impact of microplastics on food safety: the case of fishery and aquaculture products. Available at: http://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/fishery-information/resource-detail/en/c/1046435/ Accessed: May 2020
  19. Pew Trusts. Plastic Pollutions Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean. Available at: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/09/24/plastic-pollution-affects-sea-life-throughout-the-ocean Accessed: May 2020
  20. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States. The impact of microplastics on food safety: the case of fishery and aquaculture products. Available at: http://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/fishery-information/resource-detail/en/c/1046435/ Accessed: May 2020
  21. Ibid, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States.
  22. World Health Organization. WHO calls for more research into microplastics and a crackdown on plastic pollution. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/22-08-2019-who-calls-for-more-research-into-microplastics-and-a-crackdown-on-plastic-pollution Accessed: May 2020
  23. Food Safety Magazine. Microplastic Contamination of the Food Supply Chain. Available at: https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/december-2018january-2019/microplastic-contamination-of-the-food-supply-chain/ Accessed: May 2020
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