Chemical composition and abundance of microplastics in the muscle of commercial shrimp Pleoticus muelleri at an impacted coastal environment (Southwestern Atlantic)

FERNÁNDEZ SEVERINI MELISA; BUZZI NATALIA; FORERO LÓPEZ ANA; COLOMBO CAROLINA

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2020 vol. 161

0025-326X

It is analyzed for the first time microplastics (MPs) and its role as contaminant transporters in the commercially shrimp Pleoticus muelleri. Fibers were the predominant plastics (mean: 1.31 fibers g-1 wet weight), and μ-Raman showed they were composed of PE, PP, and cellulose. Weathering and topography of fibers were analyzed through wide-field confocal microscopy. C, O, Si, Al, K, as well as Fe, Zn, S, Ba, Br, and Ti on the plastic surface were detected with SEM/EDS, indicating potential carriers of contaminants. Fe, Zn, and Cu (165.3, 39.75, 25.55 μg g-1 d.w. respectively) were in the abdominal muscle. Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Mn, were below the detection limit. Fe and Zn in MPs and shrimps, suggests that plastic are a possible pathway for these inorganic contaminants to enter in the organisms. Concerning human health, mean metals concentrations in the shrimps met the national and international guidelines for safe consumption.