• PDF / 253,588 Bytes
• 14 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
• 92 Downloads / 476 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT

---

Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6

Introduction Microplastics in Seafood Microplastics in Table Salt Microplastics in Drinking Water Microplastics in Other Food Items Source, Human Burden, and Potential Health Risks 6.1 Source Diagnostics 6.2 Human Body Burden 6.3 Translocation and Accumulation in Human Body and Health Risks 7 Conclusions References

Abstract The presence and ecological risks of microplastics (MPs) are increasingly reported, whereas the impacts of MPs on human health remain largely unknown. Recent studies have confirmed the MP contamination in food items, including seafood, table salt, drinking water, etc. Dietary exposure is one of the inevitable exposure pathways of MPs, which causes concern about the potential human health risks. Whether we assess health risks or try to reduce food MP contamination, the prerequisites are to figure out the contamination pathways of MPs and their actual level in food items. At present, territorial system is facing serious environmental problems, with soil, freshwater, and air suffering from MP pollution. This leads to diversity and complexity of MP sources in food items. Therefore, we should not be

Q. Zhang and Y. Zhao Shanghai Key Laboratory for Urban Ecological Process and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China J. Li College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing, China H. Shi (*) State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China e-mail: [email protected] Defu He and Yongming Luo (eds.), Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments - Emerging Contaminants and Major Challenges, Hdb Env Chem, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_453, © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Q. Zhang et al.

confined to the food itself when considering MPs in food, but should take all pollution possibilities into account. In this chapter, we reviewed the literature concerning MPs in seafood, table salt, drinking water, and other food items. The potential MP sources of food items during the whole process from food acquisition to human ingestion were analyzed, with related human intake of MPs estimated. We also discussed possible translocation and accumulation pathways of MPs within human body. Given the lifetime inevitable exposure to MPs through multiple pathways, we urgently call for a better understanding of the potential MP sources in food items and a comprehensive assessment of human intake. Keywords Drinking water, Health risks, Microplastics, Seafood, Table salts

1 Introduction Since the concept of “microplastic” was introduced in 2004 [1], microplastics (MPs) have been found in various environmental media and organisms globally [2– 6]. More recently, the threats of MPs to human health have gained increasing public interests and media attention due to the wide detection of MPs in humanrelated food. As the marine environment attracted much attention, seafood has become the most studied food [7–9]. More than 690 marine species have been reported to be contaminated by MPs, includin