Microplastics in honey from Türkiye: Occurrence, characteristic, human exposure, and risk assessment

Abstract

In this study, honey samples produced in Türkiye in 2023 were analyzed to assess occurrence of microplastics. The microplastics were physically and chemically characterised by stereomicroscope and FT-IR, respectively. Microplastic exposure by honey consumption was also calculated and risk assessment was done. The mean microplastic concentration was 314±353 (0–1280) particles/kg in 32 honey samples analyzed. The microplastics with four different polymers (EVA, PE, PP, and Nylon–6), two different shapes (fiber and fragment), and six different colors (black, brown, green, red, yellow, and transparent) were detected. The daily microplastic intake by consumption of monofloral and multifloral honey was calculated as 1.20 and 0.85 particles/day, respectively. The mean polymer hazard index and microplastic load index levels for all honey samples analyzed were 16.7±16 and 6.70±1.0, respectively. Result of this study confirmed that honey in Türkiye was contaminated with variety of microplastics. Considering to potential health risks of microplastics and associated chemicals to human health, production process should be improved by producers and urgent strategies and controls should be developed and applied by decision makers to eliminate the intake of microplastics through food.