A scientific study in Türkiye's eastern province of Erzurum found microplastic particles in the brains of fish.
Disposable plastics discarded in nature can break down into microplastic particles in water due to the effects of waves, sunlight and wind. These particles are then ingested by aquatic creatures, eventually making their way into the human food chain.
Based on this trend, professor Muhammed Atamanalp from the Faculty of Fisheries at Ataturk University in Erzurum has been researching aquatic creatures for two years with a team of seven people.
Scientists collected 300 fish, 200 lobsters and 150 freshwater mussels from different seas and water sources. They detected microplastic particles in the fish brains during detailed laboratory analyses.
Atamanalp told Anadolu Agency (AA) that plastics are much more preferred by people due to their ease of use.
He stressed that these plastics pose serious environmental and human health risks due to irresponsible use, saying: "The intensive use of disposable materials due to their practicality and their irresponsible release into the environment causes them to reach water resources.
"After reaching water sources, these plastics, which disintegrate into particles that cannot be easily seen by the naked eye, are mistaken for food by aquatic creatures in that environment and begin to be consumed and stored in their bodies. We detected microplastic particles in fish brains for the first time in our studies. With the presence of these particles in the brain, we have shown that they are carried from the blood to other organs.”
Emphasizing that plastics harm humans, Atamanalp noted: "Particularly when hot drinks are placed in disposable containers, microplastic particles can directly pass to humans. Secondly, the consumption of aquatic creatures that absorb them in other ways can pose a health risk to humans.
"We have detected the presence of these microplastics in lobster, mussels and different types of fish. I say mussels as a separate title. Due to their diet, mussels store these plastic particles in their tissues and pass them to people who consume them.”
Underlining that there is no need for panic among fish consumers, Atamanalp highlighted: "We have revealed in our studies that the accumulation of microplastics in muscle tissue consumed by humans is not at a level that will cause harm, but when we look at other organs, we detected serious amounts of microplastics, in particular in the liver and kidney.”
Pointing out that people's accelerating pace of life makes the use of disposable materials compulsory, he added: "Since there is an inevitable situation from their use, we say that at least let's not leave them in the environment as waste. Let's be sure to include them in the recycling system.
"If we act with this awareness, we will protect our environment, our water resources, the aquatic creatures in them and ultimately human health. What is meant by single use is that you do not have to wash and reuse it again. They surely bring a lot of benefits in terms of use and practicality. However, when we consider the environmental burden, unfortunately, they give rise to serious problems,” he noted.
