Scientists from the universities of Portsmouth and Brighton found the microscopic glass fragments in shellfish that were collected off the southern coast of England. The fragments are only a few micrometers long.
Some of the glass reinforced plastic (GFRP) needle-shaped pieces had pierced living tissue due to their extreme sharpness.
Lead researcher and environmental pollution specialist Professor Faye Couceiro told News that further study was desperately needed to determine the harm to consumers of oysters and mussels.
“The glass fibre is causing inflammation in all of the areas it is found (in the shellfish tissue),” she stated.
As of now, we are unsure of the implications for human health. However, something akin to that is probably going to occur, therefore the question is, at what concentration does that become problematic?
Glass filaments woven together and enmeshed in plastic resin is called fibreglass. To create boats, the material is lightweight, sturdy, and easily formed.
However, it produces a thin dust of fibers that is easily washed into the sea when it is cut, sanded, or deteriorates with age.
In Chichester Harbour, a well-liked sailing destination in southern England, the researchers examined oysters and mussels that were harvested close to a functioning boatyard.
