This research has revealed that
microplastics are transferred through the food chain to animals at higher
levels in the marine ecosystem. Microplastics not only have a negative effect
on animal feeding and digestion activities, but also, when finer particles are
produced, they migrate from the digestive tract to the body tissues and have
adverse effects. It has also been suggested that plastics contain a variety of
toxic chemicals*1 that may also affect higher consumers by concentrating
through the food chain. We are currently conducting an experiment to
investigate the accumulation of various chemical substances in body of sculpins
by feeding mysid that contain microplastics containing toxic chemicals to
sculpins. Through this experiment, we hope to clarify the overall picture of
the impact of microplastics on marine ecosystems through the food chain.
*1 Toxic chemicals: Plastic, a petroleum
product, adsorbs POPs (persistent organic pollutants) such as PCBs and PAHs due
to its chemical affinity, and also contains various chemical additives such as
brominated flame retardants and UV absorbers. In animals, including humans,
these chemical substances are known to cause various adverse effects when they
accumulate in high concentrations in the body.
