Marine researchers are raising concerns that seafood has been unfairly labeled as a primary source of human exposure to microplastics. This perception may be leading to a decline in seafood consumption. A study conducted by Australian scientists indicates that seafood has received disproportionate attention in discussions about microplastics, creating a misconception that eating fish poses the greatest risk to human health.

Nina Wootton, a marine scientist at the University of Adelaide, stated that while microplastics are indeed present in seafood, the sector does not warrant its negative reputation. "A lot of my research has looked at microplastics in seafood and we find that there is a fair bit of microplastic coming up in seafood, but this new study is showing that it's not always fair that it gets such a bad reputation in the media, when there is microplastic unfortunately in everything," Dr. Wootton said. She emphasized that the levels of microplastics found in seafood are comparable to those in other foods, such as salt, honey, and chicken, but are significantly lower than the exposure from bottled water and indoor dust.

Dr. Wootton was part of a team that reviewed scientific and media coverage of microplastics to understand why seafood has been singled out. The review revealed that 70 percent of research on microplastics in food focused on seafood, neglecting other sources like alcohol, indoor air, and drinking water. She noted that this focus is partly due to the ease of testing seafood and concerns about marine pollution. "Seafood was one of the first foods that we started to test for microplastics really regularly, I guess because the marine environment gets this reputation as the sinkhole for a lot of plastic pollution," she explained.

The researchers are calling for more studies to assess the human health impacts of microplastics. Dr. Wootton pointed out that while microplastics have been found in various human organs, the effects of this presence remain unclear. "Unfortunately, it's just a really tricky wicked problem that's taking a bit of time for the science community to catch up with in terms of the research output," she said.

Dr. Wootton also encouraged consumers to buy seafood locally, as the industry faces multiple challenges. "The alarmist headlines you see around some of this work are not benefiting anyone," she remarked. She highlighted that seafood from South Australia is safe to eat, despite concerns raised by recent algae blooms. "You can buy SA seafood very safely from seafood shops — the fish they are selling are safe to eat. It's the same with the microplastics. If you love seafood, try to shop locally because our seafood in Australia has much, much less than what is found in overseas samples commonly."

Kyri Toumazos, CEO of Seafood Industry SA, believes that negative coverage regarding microplastics has deterred some consumers from choosing seafood, adding another hurdle for the industry. "I definitely think that whenever there is a health criteria put out there that is not supportive of a product, it does impact people's perceptions, but overall I am very confident also that people clearly understand that seafood is the healthiest form of protein they can consume," he said. He emphasized the pristine environments from which Australian seafood is sourced, particularly from the Southern Ocean. "If you are concerned about microplastics — which we all are — seafood shouldn't be your priority place to look."