A research team at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has demonstrated that the growth and development of two marine invertebrates – the pollution-tolerant slipper limpets and the commercially-harvested bristle worms (a common fish bait which recycles nutrients in the ecosystem) – are prone to suffer irreversible damage under exposure to a high concentration of microbeads.

The findings – discovered by a team of undergraduate and postgraduate students led by Prof. Karen CHAN, Assistant Professor from the Division of Life Science at HKUST – have shown for the first time that the detrimental effects of microplastics - tiny plastic pellets found in many health, beauty and household products, are not confined to only upscale, commonly consumed marine invertebrates like abalones and oysters, but also take a toll on tough invasive and nuisance species like the slipper limpets. Read More... 

(From right) Prof. Karen CHAN and her research team members Abby LO, NG Pui-lam and Julia LEUNG discover microbeads’ (bottled) impact on bristle worms (in the Petri dish) and slipper limpets.