One of the most plastic-contaminated birds in the whole world is silently suffering from a novel, emerging disease scientists have coined ‘plasticosis’.
It’s reportedly the first time researchers have ever documented and quantified the pathological effects of ingested plastic in wild animals, and it’s got scientists stressing about the health of more than just one species.
The new findings suggest sharp plastic fragments can literally tear some seabirds apart from the inside.
“[T]his study clearly demonstrates the ability of plastic to directly induce severe, organ-wide scar tissue formation or ‘plasticosis’ in wild, free-living animals, which is likely to be detrimental to individual health and survival,” researchers write.
“As plastic emissions continue to grow and plastic pollution becomes increasingly prevalent in all environments globally, it is likely that exposure of all organisms to plastic is inevitable,” they predict.
Plastic pollution is thought to affect over 1,200 marine species at just about every level of the food web, and yet scientists still don’t know what impact ingested or inhaled synthetic fibers and fragments are having on animal health.
When it comes to physical damage caused by ingested plastic, flesh-footed shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes) are the canaries in the coal mine.