How many microplastics do children swallow from seafood compared to adults?

What's actually in it

Seafood like shrimp, mussels, clams, and fish accumulates microplastics from polluted ocean water. The plastics lodge in the flesh and digestive tracts of these animals. When you eat them, especially shellfish eaten whole, you swallow every plastic particle the animal collected during its lifetime.

Children don't eat smaller portions at every meal. A child eating the same plate of shrimp as an adult gets a much bigger dose relative to their body weight.

What the research says

A 2026 study in J Food Sci calculated microplastic intake from seafood consumption across different age groups. The researchers measured microplastic concentrations in popular seafood species and combined that data with how much seafood people actually eat.

Children and teenagers had the highest estimated microplastic intake per kilogram of body weight. Even though adults eat more seafood overall, children's smaller body mass means each particle has a proportionally bigger impact. Toddlers eating seafood for the first time face the highest relative exposure.

The study calculated that regular seafood eaters of any age swallow thousands of microplastic particles per year from this source alone. Adding up seafood, drinking water, and food packaging, the total plastic burden is much higher. Choosing smaller fish, peeling shrimp thoroughly, and removing digestive tracts from shellfish can cut exposure but won't eliminate it.