According to 2017 data, 79% of waste plastics end up in landfills or in nature. Of course, under ‘nature’ there are oceans that have been reacting to their pollution for years. Pollution of the oceans doesn’t just affect marine life.
A new study published recently is further proof of this. Scientists have studied the damage caused by plastic waste in seabirds and defined it as a disease: ‘Plasticosis’.
Plastic waste causes physical damage to the organs of birds:
According to research published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, seabirds suffer from a disease called ‘plasticosis’ due to consuming plastic waste. Sharp-edged plastic waste injures birds directly inside their bodies, damaging their organs.
The species of seabird that scientists studied closely was pink-footed minute hands. Examinations of the stomachs of dozens of dead birds revealed the damage done by plastics:
This bird species, which nests on Lord Howe Island, which is about 600 kilometers from Australia, is seen weaker than normal on the island coasts every autumn. Many of the birds can be found sick or dead.
- Plastic from the stomach of a dead pink-footed minute hand.
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