Human exposure via indoor air and dust is orders of magnitude higher than the estimated exposure from consuming seafood

Seafood Gets a Bad Rap: Major Study Rebalances the True Risk of Microplastic Exposure

WORLDWIDE
Tuesday, November 04, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Rearchers find human intake of microplastics from indoor air is up to 1,000 times higher than from seafood, urging the public and media to re-evaluate health risks and focus on the beneficial health effects of seafood consumption.

A new peer-reviewed research paper is challenging the widely held public perception that microplastics in seafood pose a significant threat to human health. The study, titled “Examining Misconceptions about Plastic-Particle Exposure from Ingestion of Seafood and Risk to Human Health,” was published earlier this month in Environmental Science & Technology Letters and concludes that the media's intense focus on seafood is unjustified.

Ted. Nina and Bronwyn

The paper was led by Professor Ted Henry from Heriot-Watt University in the UK and includes an international team of co-authors, such as Dr Nina Wootton, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide, and Professor Bronwyn Gillanders, also from the University of Adelaide.

The research stems from an expert meeting in 2022 in the UK that gathered specialists in microplastics, human health, exposure risks, and key seafood representatives, including Erik Poole from the Sydney Fish Market. The workshop's goal was to put the actual risk of Plastic Particles (PPs; ≤ 5 mm diameter) from seafood into context.

Exposure Risk Put in Context

One of the study's key takeaways is that it's unfortunately impossible to escape microplastics, which were first termed in 2009. The report highlights that human exposure via indoor air and dust accounts for 100-1,000 particles per day, which is orders of magnitude higher than the estimated exposure from consuming seafood.

The evidence clearly indicates that the levels of Plastic Particles found in seafood are consistent with those of other foods and beverages. The research suggests that the disproportionate focus on seafood—which accounts for over 70% of all studies looking at microplastics in food—is driven by the public's immediate association of plastic pollution with the ocean.

Number of studies that reported the presence of microplastics in different sources of human exposure. The systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was completed through Web of Science on August 8, 2025. Search terms can be found in Table S1 (Supporting Information). Note that the number of studies reflects the total unique hits recorded for the specific search terms (and excludes replicates

Minimal Health Concerns and Media Misconceptions

The study found that while uncertainties remain, there is currently minimal evidence of dietary toxicity from plastic particles at relevant exposure levels, and there are no consumption advisories for PPs. Furthermore, the levels of toxic contaminants that may be associated with PPs and released upon ingestion are often orders of magnitude below levels of toxicological concern.

Dr Nina Wootton notes that the overattention on seafood contamination has led to biased perceptions of health risks in both scientific and public media communications, resulting in a loss of the well-documented beneficial health effects of seafood consumption. The researchers call on the scientific community to ensure their findings are put into context against other food sources to build greater trust and provide accurate risk assessment for consumers.

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