Determination of microplastic in green mussels (Perna viridis) in some coastal areas of Quang Ninh province, Vietnam

Abstract

This study focuses on determining the presence of microplastics in the green mussel (Perna viridis) collected from four areas: Ha Long, Van Don, Mong Cai, and Co To island in Quang Ninh province. After extraction, the microplastics from the green mussel samples were analysed using a Nicolet iN10 MX infrared microscope. The results indicated that 91.7% of the green mussels analysed contained microplastics. The microplastic density values ranged from 0.45±0.41 to 0.91±0.78 microplastics per gram of wet tissue and from 2.73±2.02 to 5.33±4.61 microplastics per individual. Most detected microplastics were smaller than 150 μm, the smallest particle measuring 22.5 μm in length and the largest 1269.6 μm. Microplastics were mainly detected as fragments. Some common polymer types used in plastic production were identified, such as: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and others, with PET accounting for the highest proportion at 67.9% of the total microplastics detected. The results of this study provide a basis for assessing the potential risks of microplastics to human health and contribute to the dataset on microplastic pollution in Vietnam.