PLASTICIDE

PLASTICIDE: Dietary Microplastics Effect on Shrimp Health and Consumer Safety

Plastic production and waste increase are an emerging problem globally. Adsorption of environmental contaminants such as pesticides or other organic pollutants on micro/nano plastic materials presenting previously unknown health challenges to ecosystems, animals and human beings.

Therefore, in PLASTICIDE project, a combination of aged microplastics and adsorbed pesticides toxicity (“Trojan horse effect”) on shrimp health and tissue bioaccumulation is studied in vivo and in vitro to determine risk for aquatic animal health and welfare and consumer safety. Pacific white-legged shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is used as a model organism. Exposure to aged polyethylene microplastics as vehicle for adsorbed glyphosate corresponds to environmentally relevant practices of pond-liner shrimp aquaculture in South-East Asia, and increased exposure to PE elements of the indoor systems (tanks, filters) in recirculation aquaculture. The state-of-the-art aquatic animal disease research facility at LMU-Munich in collaboration with CrustaNova  is used in exposure studies, and advanced analytical methods through partnership with BayBioMS will be used to determine pesticide residues in shrimp.

The PLASTICIDE is a doctoral dissertation project of Ms. Worrayanee Thamatorn, DVM, Ananda Mahidol Foundation Scholarship Holder from Chulalongkorn University School of Veterinary Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.