The fate of microplastics during uptake and depuration phases in a blue mussel exposure system

We present a blue mussel exposure system where the fate of microplastics (polystyrene beads) is tracked during exposure and depuration phases. This enabled the establishment of a complete mass balance. Quantification of beads in mussels was done with a novel enzymatic digestion protocol. We found a similar relative distribution of beads for two environmentally realistic concentrations (5 and 100 beads L-1 ) and no substantial egestion of particles within 2h depuration.