Application of an enzyme digestion method reveals microlitter in Mytilus trossulus at a wastewater discharge area,

Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 130, May 2018, Pages 206-214, ISSN 0025-326X,

Abstract:

The ingestion of microlitter by blue mussels (450) was studied at a
wastewater recipient area in the Baltic Sea. The mussel soft tissues
were digested using enzymatic detergents and the detected litter
particles characterized with FT-IR imaging spectroscopy. Microlitter
concentration in seawater and WWTP effluent were also measured.
Microlitter was found in 66% of the mussels. Mussels from the WWTP
recipient had higher microlitter content compared to those collected at
the reference site. Plastics made up 8% of all the analysed microlitter
particles. The dominating litter types were fibres (~90% of all
microlitter), 42% of which were cotton, 17% linen, 17% viscose and 4%
polyester. The risk of airborne contamination during laboratory work was
lowered when mussels were digested with their shells on instead of
dissecting them first. The approach was found applicable and gentle to
both non-synthetic and synthetic materials including fragile fibres.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LawtDfKfLJWfxZOMZ5BcVI9cx3LVsUuD
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.022.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X1830167X)

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