Based on a number of studies, including those conducted by EPA, plastics have the potential to adsorb chemicals of concern from the environment, and serve as a potential global transport mechanism for contaminants of concern into the food chain and potentially to humans who eat seafoods.
Contaminants accumulated on the surface of plastic particles as well as those within the plastic can be released to the environment when the plastics break down into smaller particles as a result of ultraviolet UV radiation, mechanical forces, and weathering. Evidence is adding up that plastic debris, including resin pellets and fragments, transfer PBTs to organisms when consumed.
For example, the accumulation of PBTs from plastics has been documented in seabirds and benthic organisms. In a study by Ryan et al , great shearwaters Puffinus gravis , a seabird known to ingest plastic, had PCB concentrations in fat tissues corresponding to the amounts of plastic found in their stomachs. There is a substantial body of evidence documenting the harmful effects of aquatic plastic debris on river and marine organisms.
The most common threats to wildlife include both physical hazards from ingestion and entanglement, and toxicological threats from ingestion of contaminants attached to and trapped within plastic particles. Problems associated with the ingestion of plastics include development of internal and external wounds, impairment of feeding capacity due to the buildup or blockage of the digestive system, decreased mobility and predatory avoidance, and toxicity.
Ingestion of plastics by seabirds has been shown to reduce body weight, inhibit fat deposition, and reduce reproductive capacity. Due to the fact that seabirds feed over wide ranges and are an upper-trophic level predator that is, they eat prey high on the food chain , they act as early indicators of pollutants such as plastics in the marine environment.
Ingestion of plastic debris by seabirds, fish, and sea turtles has been widely documented, and ingestion has been reported from marine mammals as well. The potential for plastic ingestion is largely associated with situations where plastic particles can be mistaken for food.
For example, sea turtles readily consume plastic bags and other floating debris that appear similar to their gelatinous prey, jellyfish. Predatory organisms, such as fur seals, may indirectly consume plastics through consumption of ocean fish and other prey that have consumed plastic particles mistaken for food. In addition to degrading the habitats and ecosystem services that humans use, plastic aquatic debris can directly interfere with navigation, impede commercial and recreational fishing, threaten health and safety, and reduce tourism.
Large debris, such as derelict fishing nets and lines that float at or just below the surface, pose the greatest threat to vessel navigation. Lines and nets can become wrapped around propellers and entrained in intakes of motors, and vessels may strike large items, damaging hulls and propellers.
Additionally, "ghost fishing" by lost, drifting nets and pots can kill fish and invertebrates valuable to local commercial and recreational fisheries. It was estimated that derelict crab pots capture approximately , pounds of Dungeness crab in Puget Sound annually.
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We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Cigarettes are also full of toxic chemicals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic, which can contaminate the surrounding environment.
If children or animals find and eat cigarette butts, they can be poisoned. Many types of litter take years to break down, if they do so at all. Aluminum cans could last more than years in a landfill. When litter becomes part of the environment, it contaminates habitats for plants and animals.
Chemicals from litter can poison soil, and polluted water and metals can also leach into groundwater supplies. In the oceans, plastic is a leading form of litter. In , National Geographic reported that there were 5. Plastic can absorb toxic chemicals from the environment and transport them to other environments as currents move the plastic. To make plastics stronger and more flexible, they often have additives that extend the life of the plastic.
We can also do our part to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we use in the products we buy. Lindsey is finishing her M.
Environmental Conservation degree at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She spent four summers communicating science in Denali National Park and has continued to search for ways to communicate science in and outside of work. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, backpacking, making music, and sitting around the campfire. The Effects of Improper Garbage Disposal.
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