Study shows low microplastics in Long Island oysters, clams

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Good news for shellfish eaters on Long Island.

According to a baseline study conducted by recent St. Joseph’s University graduates in the lab of Associate Professor Konstantine Rountos, oysters and hard clams have less microplastics than they do in other areas in the United States and the world.

Caused by the breakdown of larger plastic pieces, pellets used in plastics manufacturing and from micro beads that can be a part of cosmetics, microplastics are found throughout the world and can float around waterways for extended periods of time.

Filter feeders like clams and oysters, which play a key environmental role in cleaning local water, could accumulate microplastics. Researchers don’t yet know the potential harm to humans from consuming shellfish with microplastics.

“I was optimistic that the concentrations are lower than with shellfish in other countries and definitely in other areas of the United States, so that’s a positive for Long Island shellfish growers,” Rountos said. “It’s good for seafood lovers, too.”

To be sure, Rountos cautioned that more research was necessary to explore the concentrations of smaller microplastics to provide a more complete understanding of the accumulation of these particles. Nonetheless, he described this step in the study as “positive.”

In other areas of the country, previous studies revealed a higher concentration of microplastics in local shellfish. In the lower Chesapeake Bay, researchers found concentrations of 5.6 to 7 microplastics per gram of soft tissue in eastern oysters, while other scientists found concentrations of 0.56 to 2.02 microplastics per gram in soft tissue in oysters and 0.38 to 1.99 microplastics per gram of soft tissue weight in hard clams.

By contrast, Rountos, Mackenzie Minder, who is the first author on the paper, and Isabella Colombo discovered in their study of 48 oysters at four sites on Long Island was 1,000 times lower with eastern oysters. They also discovered no microplastics in hard clams at two sites around the island.

The lower numbers on Long Island may also be a product of the sieve size Rountos and his students used, which may not have captured smaller particles.

In a paper published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, Mackenzie, Colombo and Rountos suggested that one potential explanation for the difference in microplastics concentrations could arise from the potentially lower levels of microplastics in the surrounding water.

Other proposed studies are exploring the concentration of microplastics in local waterways.

Gordon Taylor, Professor and Division Head in Marine Sciences and Director of the NAno-Raman Molecular Imaging Laboratory, has two grant applications pending to sample Long Island waters, including the Long Island Sound, Peconics, Great South Bay and the New York Bight. His plan is to sample true microplastics in the water, through beach surveys and microplastics eaten by zooplankton.

Taylor will combine these observations with physical oceanography to model where these particles originate and where they are going.

Bringing research to the classroom

For Minder and Colombo, both of whom are now teaching on Long Island, publishing their work offered a welcome and exciting conclusion to their college studies, while also giving them ways to inspire their students.

“This allows me to bring real life experience [in research] into the classroom,” said Minder. “It’s important to me to connect to children certain concepts of what they see in everyday life. Pollution could potentially impact our waterways to the point where it could be getting into our food supplies and could affect us physically and mentally.”

Minder said the study “opened my eyes to see how subconsciously we are putting plastics in the environment” through activities like washing synthetic fibers.

A fleece with synthetic fibers has “plastics that you wash and those fibers end up in the water,” Rountos said.

Some cosmetics such as exfoliators used to have microspheres that ended up in the water. Many cosmetic companies are now using bits of coconuts for grittiness.

Undergrad power

Rountos appreciated the reaction from Minder and Colombo, who earned degrees in adolescent biology education, when he suggested they could publish their research. He said his two former students “dove in head first” and the three had regular meetings to draft the manuscript and address reviewer’s revisions and recommendations.

Minder and Colombo are pleased with the paper “It’s shell shocking,” Minder said.

A resident of Hauppauge, Minder, whose hobbies include crocheting and reading, appreciates how her family has been showing copies of the paper to their friends and enjoys seeing the paper on refrigerators in her parents’ and grandmother’s homes.

A resident of Sayville, Colombo is serving as a building substitute for students who are 10 to 14 years old.

The research experience taught Colombo the value of communication, dedication and responsibility, which she has brought to the classroom. When she tells high school students about the publication, her students ask for signed copies of the paper.

“It’s such an honor and a privilege to be a part” of such a research effort, Colombo said.

Colombo’s family, who is proud of her for her work, is also relieved that she didn’t find the kind of contamination that might cause anxiety about the seafood they eat.

“Considering how many times I eat it for the holidays I was very concerned” about what they’d find, Colombo said.

Despite the trace amount of microplastics, Colombo and her family will continue to eat shellfish. She plans to hang the framed copy of the paper Rountos gave her in a future classroom.

Colombo decided to go into teaching after taking a living environment class with Sayville educator Cindy Giannico. She is grateful to Giannico for captivating “my desire to learn more and appreciate how applicable science is to your everyday life.”

Colombo has since come full circle and has been a student teacher in Giannico’s class. Giannico was thrilled to welcome Colombo, whom she recalled as “hard working” and “helpful” with other students even as a tenth grader, back to the classroom.

Colombo has since taken a job as a science teacher on Long Island. Giannico believes Colombo has forged a strong connection with her students through her caring and consideration and her willingness to work with them.

“Most people feel comfortable around her,” Giannico said. “She’s really mature.”

Colombo’s published work has sparked student interest in conducting their own research studies.

Rountos is proud of Minder and Colombo’s contribution. He described Colombo and Minder as “rare gem” students.

Looking for something for your young performer for the Summer?

Programs

Egg Hunts at the Hatchery

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor will host egg hunts on March 25, 26, April 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 in 20 minute sessions from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children up to the age of 6 years old. Tickets are $12 per participating child, $5 "helper siblings" ages 7 to 12, $6 seniors, and $7 adults. To register, visit www. cshfishhatchery.org or call 516-692-6768. Take a Bird

to Lunch

Sunken Meadow State Park, Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park hosts a Tiny Tots program titled Take a Bird to Lunch on March 24 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages 3 to 5 and their parents will connect with nature through short walks, animal visitors, and crafts. $4 per child. To register, visit www.eventbrite.com. For more information, call 269-4333.

Open Play at the Explorium

Join the Long Island Explorium, 101 East Broadway, Port Jefferson for Open Play on March 25 and 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. with hands-on activities, crafts, and more. Admission is $5 per person, Long Island Explorium members and children under 1 are free. Call 331-3277.

Spring Festival and Egg Hunt

Sweetbriar Nature Center, 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown hosts its annual Spring Festival and Egg Hunt on March 26 from noon to 4 p.m. Join them for a day filled with games, animal presentations, crafts, face painting, and more. Egg hunts will be held throughout the day with prizes and a separate egg hunt for 2-4-year-olds to do with their parents. A special long-eared guest will be available for photo opportunities and refreshments will be available for purchase. Bring a basket. Tickets are $20 per child, $5 adults. To reserve your spot, visit www.sweetbriarnc.org. Call 9796344 for more info.

Books in the Barn

Registration is currently underway for the Smithtown Historical Society's new Books in the Barn program for ages 3 to 5 with parent/ caregiver on March 27 from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Meet at the newly refurbished Franklin O. Arthur Farm, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown to listen to stories about farms, barns and animals. Then visit with the chickens, bunnies, sheep, ponies and barn cats that call the farm home. Free. Open to all. To register, visit www.smithlib.org/children. For more information, call 360-2480, ext. 140.

Free Planetarium show

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport presents a Thankful Thursday event on March 30 at 7 p.m. Enjoy a FREE family-friendly planetarium show, STARS: The Powerhouses of the Universe narrated by Mark Hamill, and then look through a telescope at the night sky (weather permitting). Register at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Theater

'Finding Nemo Jr.

The Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 E. Main St., Smithtown presents Finding Nemo Jr. from April 1 to 8. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” and “Go With the Flow,” Finding Nemo Jr. brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure. All seats are $25. To order, call 800595-4849 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

'Seussical the Musical'

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Seussical the Musical from April 1 to 30. "Oh the Thinks You Can Think!” Dive into the colorful world of Dr. Seuss as The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who sets off to save a speck of dust containing The Whos from destruction. All seats are $20. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

'The Adventures of Peter Rabbit' Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson kicks off spring with The Adventures of Peter Rabbit from April 5 to 29 with a sensory sensitive performance on April 16 at 11 a.m. Join Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, Mrs. Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and the McGregors in this delightful adaption suggested by the characters created by Beatrix Potter, a Theatre Three tradition for spring break. All seats are $10. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Film

‘James and the Giant Peach' The Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids! Series with a screening of James and the Giant Peach on March 26 at noon. Based on the book by Roald Dahl. the children's tale follows the adventures of James, an orphaned young British boy. Forced to live with his cruel aunts, James finds a way out of his bleak existence when he discovers an enormous enchanted peach. Rated PG. Tickets are $12, $5 children 12 and under. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

All numbers are in (631) area code unless noted.