Human exposure to microplastic and UV stabilisers through Atlantic cod consumption: A focus on Norway

Worldwide, edible fish are well studied for plastic occurrence. Microplastic (MP) occurrence in edible tissues raises concern for the organism’s health, but also on food safety. In the Arctic region, MP occurrence in other tissues than the digestive tract of fish has not been published yet. Plastic-related chemicals such as UV stabilisers (UVS) were also scarcely studied in Arctic biota. Our objectives were to (1) provide data on MP occurrence in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fillets, (2) quantify UVS in the same fillets, and (3) provide estimations of both MP and UVS intake by Norwegian and European consumers through cod consumption. Twenty individuals were collected in the Barents Sea, south-west of Svalbard. They were dissected onboard and a piece of fillet was used for the extraction of MPs in the lab. Particles’ identification was performed by µRaman spectroscopy. MPs were found in 45 % of the fillets, with an average of 0.25 MP/g ww. Only one UV stabiliser (UV-326) was detected, in four fillets. Based on consumption data of cod, an average Norwegian man and woman would ingest 20.8 and 33.5 MPs weekly, respectively. Considering a European diet, a weekly intake of 8 MPs and a yearly intake of 403 MPs through cod consumption was calculated. The impacts of MP exposure to humans are unknown. Through this study, rather than to raise potential risks of consuming fish, we aimed to trigger further research on microplastics occurrence in seafood, i.e. in the edible tissues of aquatic animals.