Researchers from the University of Portsmouth tested a theory that microplastics covered in a layer of microbes called a biofilm were more likely to be ingested by oysters than microplastics that were clean.
Although the experiment was carried out on oysters under laboratory conditions, scientists believe similar results could be found in other edible marine species that also filter seawater for food.
“We know microplastics can be the mechanism by which bacteria are concentrated in coastal waters and this shows that they are more readily taken up by shellfish and can be transferred to humans or other marine life,” said lead researcher Dr Joanne Preston.
Microbes have been known to readily colonise microplastics that enter the ocean. This study makes a comparison between the uptake rates of clean microplastics versus microplastics with an E.coli biofilm coating.
The results showed that oysters contained 10 times more microplastics when exposed to the...