London, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Plastic residues have been found in five different kinds of seafood samples, and the amount of plastic in different types of seafood also varies greatly, according to a study released by the University of Exeter on Aug. 12.

Researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland in Australia collaborated on the study to assess the impact of Marine plastic pollution, and the relevant results have been published in the United States "Environmental Science and Technology" monthly magazine.

According to the report, the researchers bought oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines at a seafood market in Australia, and used technical methods to assess the plastic residue levels in these seafood.

The results showed that the amount of plastic residue per gram of tissue was 0.04 mg for squid, 0.07 mg for prawns, 0.1 mg for oysters, 0.3 mg for crabs and 2.9 mg for sardines.

Report co-author Francesca Ribeiro, an academic at the University of Queensland, said the average consumer could consume about 0.7 mg of plastic per serving of raw oysters or squid. And a serving of sardines can even reach 30 milligrams of plastic, about the weight of a grain of rice.

The study shows that the levels of plastic in different types of seafood vary widely, and the scientific community still does not fully understand the health risks of ingesting such plastic residues, but the study may help improve this understanding, the researchers said.

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