Wild birds have enough challenges already
.webp)
That's the conclusion of a recently
published study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, with
researchers calling the "novel, plastic-induced fibrotic disease"
plasticosis.
According to the paper's abstract:
Highly impacted by plastic ingestion, flesh-footed shearwaters (Ardenna
carneipes) are thus an apt species to examine these impacts in an
environmentally relevant manner. A Masson's Trichrome stain was used to
document any evidence of plastic-induced fibrosis, using collagen as a marker
for scar tissue formation in the proventriculus (stomach) of 30 flesh-footed
shearwater fledglings from Lord Howe Island, Australia. Plastic presence was
highly associated with widespread scar tissue formation and extensive changes
to, and even loss of, tissue structure within the mucosa and submucosa. Additionally,
despite naturally occurring indigestible items, such as pumice, also being
found in the gastrointestinal tract, this did not cause similar scarring. This
highlights the unique pathological properties of plastics and raises concerns
for other species impacted by plastic ingestion.
"While these birds can look healthy on the outside, they're
not doing well on the inside," study co-author Alex Bond, who is the
senior curator in charge of birds at the U.K.'s Natural History Museum in
London, told The
Guardian. "This study is the first time that stomach tissue has been
investigated in this way and shows that plastic consumption can cause serious damage
to these birds' digestive system."
Previous studies have found that
around 90% of all seabirds have ingested plastics. Marine conservationists
argue that reduced plastics consumption and targeted efforts to keep plastics
out of the Earth's oceans are the most effective means of curbing the crisis.