WVU study shows up to hundreds of microplastics particles in north-central WV fish

All of the 55 same-species, similar-sized fish Tuzzio and her team examined after collecting them from seven state streams were found to have microplastics in their gastrointestinal tracts. The fish contained between 8 and 274 microplastic particles each, with an average accumulation of 40 pieces per specimen.

Microplastics can carry heavy metals and antibiotics and are suspected of contributing to diabetes and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, along with human infertility and fetal development.

"These plastics are small, but their impact is massive," Tuzzio said. 

The results of Tuzzio's study, conducted with WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources faculty members Caroline Chaves Arantes, assistant professor of wildlife and fisheries, and Brent Murry, assistant professor of aquatic ecology, were recently published in the scientific journal Sustainability.

"This study is the first to be published on [microplastics in] freshwater fish in West Virginia and Appalachia, to our knowledge," said Tuzzio, a junior from Shepherdstown. "One of our main goals was to find a baseline pollution level for the region utilizing these organisms as an indicator."

What they found, where they found it

The organisms Tuzzio refers to are northern hogsuckers — an abundant, pollution-sensitive strain of the nongame sucker family that thrives in fast-flowing streams across the region. Hogsuckers are bottom-feeding fish that dine on small organisms found on streambeds by flipping over rocks and sucking up dislodged material through their pig-like mouths, making them likely candidates for ingesting microplastics.

The northern hogsuckers examined in the study were collected from seven north-central West Virginia streams:

• Big Sandy Creek, Preston County
• Deckers Creek, Monongalia County
• Dry Fork River, Tucker County
• Fishing Creek, Wetzel County
• Pawpaw Creek, Marion County
• West Fork Creek, Harrison County
• Wheeling Creek, Ohio County

Were members of the WVU surprised at the pervasiveness of the microplastics found in the West Virginia fish? 

"Yes and no," Murry said. "Scientific literature and global news are filled with examples of plastics being everywhere, so we assumed that we'd certainly find plastics. But, yes. I, at least, was shocked to find every fish had a belly-full." 

The individual fish with the lowest number of microplastics in its digestive system (8), was collected from Fishing Creek, while the fish with the most particles (274) was from Big Sandy Creek. 

Sites with the higher microplastics levels were in watersheds with the highest percentage of agricultural land, Tuzzio said, which suggests that stormwater runoff from farms may play a role in channeling microplastics into streams. The Big Sandy Creek drainage contained the study's highest percentage of agricultural land, while the Fishing Creek drainage contained the least.

Fibers accounted for 96% of all microplastic particles Tuzzio's team extracted from the fish, with plastic fragments, sheets and foams making up the rest. Microplastic fibers can come from laundered clothing and bedding made with synthetic fabrics, tires, discarded cigarette filters and other sources.

While agricultural land use and sewage effluent "both appear to be major drivers of microplastic pollution in these streams," according to the text of the study, "we cannot rule out the influence of atmospheric deposition."

What's next

Planned follow-up research by the WVU team will examine the role precipitation and other atmospheric events may play in spreading microplastics throughout ecosystems, and will involve additional fish species. 

"It is safe to assume other freshwater fishes and organisms are consuming these plastics," Tuzzio said, including game fish species caught and eaten by anglers.

"To my knowledge, thus far, no concrete statements have been issued as to the safety of game fish related to microplastic pollution," she said. "The ingestion or inhalation of microplastics has been linked to a variety of serious health conditions, and there is evidence that the plastic bioaccumulates and becomes more concentrated as you move up the food chain. With that being said, there is not enough data yet to specifically determine the potential health risks of ingesting game fish."

The results of the WVU study "point to widespread levels of microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems in North Central Appalachia," which "lead to negative consequences for the sustainability of healthy freshwaters," the study concluded.

Tuzzio said she hoped the research "sparks conversations about sustainability and inspires action to protect the streams and communities of Appalachia. Public awareness, she said, will be the key to reducing microplastic pollution by taking such steps as improving plastic waste management and water treatment infrastructure and installing washing machine filters. 

The study of microplastics pollution "is new as of the 21st Century," Tuzzio said. "And we are in the very early stages of identifying and attempting to quantify the problem before we can accurately assess ecosystem and human health risks."