Microplastics found in shellfish from two locations are mostly smaller than 40 micrometers, a size that bivalves can easily filter from water. These particles are likely fragments of plastic waste...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Shellfish filter water to eat, and tiny plastic bits smaller than 40 micrometers look just like their food, so they get swallowed by accident. These pieces are too small to be spit out, so they stay inside the shellfish.
Most probable mechanism
Tiny plastic pieces in the water get caught by the gills of shellfish as they filter water to eat, and because these pieces are so small, they pass through the filtering system and end up inside the shellfish’s body.
Bivalves draw in water through their siphons to extract food particles, creating a continuous flow over their gill surfaces.
Gill filaments and cilia trap particles smaller than 40 micrometers based on size exclusion, as these are within the range of naturally ingested organic matter.
Microplastic particles of this size are not efficiently rejected by the filtering apparatus and are transported to the digestive tract along with food.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Contradicting (0)
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