Are you having microplastics with your seafood?

Building on my colleague's John Searle recent blog...

Indeed the issue of microplastics has been considered in many studies. Earlier this year an article in Forbes magazine highlighted this growing concern. Microplastics are very small in size and are created from larger plastic pieces that break down over time by the impact of elements (sunlight, sea salt, etc), or from plastic polymer additives that over time leach in the surrounding water. Being so small they are easily ingested by sea animals, including the typical seafood that ends on our plates. New research found that chemical leaching from microplastics are also affecting marine photosynthetic algae, which play a role in producing the oxygen that we rely on to live. 

As Forbes put it, "70 years of manufacturing plastic later, we are finally starting to see where it all ends up when we toss it."

The presence of microplastics in the water creates environmental problems but also poses a risk to human health, risks that are still under investigation, and not fully known. Last year World Health Organization (WHO) said microplastics in drinking water don’t appear to pose a health risk at the current level but we definitely need to know and study more of the long term effects. 

Humans are not only getting microplastics from seafood but other sources such as bottled water, beer, honey, sea salt, etc.

Intertek provides microplastics analysis that gives companies information about microplastics in the human environment. We have extensive technical expertise using various methods which combined with our expert evaluations enables the identification and quantification of microplastics in selected samples. The same analysis can be applied to products such as table water, drinking water, honey, table salt, drinks, beer, and spirits. Learn more at intertek.com/food/microplastics-testing/