Lobster with a side of microplastics? Canadian researchers find traces of polyester, PVA in meat

The study's lead author says their research shows microplastics are 'not just out in the ocean, it's also ending up on our dinner plates.'

A new study from Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University found microplastics in 100 per cent of the lobsters they tested, leading researchers to suggest plastic is more prevalent than most seafood lovers may think.

On average, they found six to seven microplastic particles in a single gram of meat.

“The implications are that with every bite of seafood, you’re ingesting microplastics,” said lead researcher Amber LeBlanc of Dalhousie’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies.

Researchers bought 16 lobsters from local retailers that were caught off the coast of Nova Scotia and obtained tissue samples from the tails of the animals.

“The idea was to be like a consumer who would buy the lobster and then go home and cook it and eat it,” LeBlanc explained.

Their analysis found microplastics in the meat of all 16 animals, with samples including specks from polyester clothing fibres and polyethylene vinyl acetate (PVA).

PVA, which is commonly used in laundry detergent pods, was the “primary” plastic found inside the lobsters. LeBlanc pointed out that oftentimes, products that are marketed as “biodegradable” or “eco-friendly” may not actually be such.

“So the plastic dissolves in water. And from what we can see with our naked eye, it does,” LeBlanc said about the pods.