Environmental risk of microplastics in a Mexican coastal lagoon ecosystem: Anthropogenic inputs and its possible human food risk

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-06, Vol.879, p.163095-163095, Article 163095
• Main Authors: Celis-Hernandez, Omar, Ávila, Enrique, Rendón-von Osten, Jaime, Briceño-Vera, E. Antony, Borges-Ramírez, M. Merle, Gómez-Ponce, A. Mario, Capparelli, V. Mariana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biomonitors; Crassostrea; Ecosystem; Emergent Pollutants; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Gulf of Mexico; Humans; Microplastics; Natural Protected Areas; Oysters; Plastics; Shellfish; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163095

Coastal lagoons are ecosystems that are considered providers of a variety species of commercial value to the humans. However, they are currently threatened by a variety of anthropogenic-derived impacts, including environmental pollution by microplastics (MPs). For these reasons, it is necessary to identify suitable biomonitors for monitoring MP activities in aquatic environments and for estimating human ingestion of MPs from the consumption of commercial shellfish species. Therefore, our aims were to identify the anthropogenic activities that supply MPs into a coastal lagoon in the southern Gulf of Mexico and their variety; to determine whether oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are suitable biomonitors to perform MPs monitoring activities and to conduct an estimation of how many MPs could a human consume by the ingestion of a commercial portion of oysters harvested in this coastal lagoon. Our results noted that MP concentrations from water and sediment collected in Laguna de Terminos were 210,000 and 11.3 times higher than values reported in other protected areas worldwide. MPs chemical composition revealed that fishing and urban activities supply mainly polyethylene (21.1 %), poly (butadiene) diol (12.6 %) and polyethylene terephthalate (9.5 %). It was also determined that oysters did not reflect the spatial distribution of MPs within the study area and that a human could consume up to 806.1 MPs per 237.1 g serving of an oyster cocktail. Finally, a coastal lagoon polluted with MPs increases the risk of affecting species used for human consumption. [Display omitted] •A protected area policy is not enough to avoid MP pollution in lagoon ecosystems.•An oyster cocktail can supply 806 MPs per 237.1 g serving.•SBR is supplied to the lagoon ecosystem by terrestrial traffic.•Silopren represent sources such as the oil industry.•PE, PET and PVC come from artisanal fishing and urban activities.