Perishing on Nonperishables
By Wendy Heller, February 10, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
Source: Iol.co.za
It is now clear this chick is among many thousands of seabirds that
have died from ingesting plastic debris, and nowhere in the world seems
to be too isolated for this deadly form of marine pollution.
Dutch scientists have found that more than nine out of 10 European fulmars - seabirds that eat at sea - die with plastic rubbish in their stomachs. The stomach of one fulmar that died in Belgium contained 1 603 separate scraps of plastic.
Birds are not the only ones to suffer. Turtles, whales, seals and sea lions have all eaten plastic. But the most sinister problem might be a hidden one at the other end of the food chain. Small sand hoppers, barnacles and lugworms have also been found to have ingested tiny fragments of plastic, some of which are thinner than a human hair. Apart from the physical damage these particles cause, they might also transfer toxic chemicals to creatures at the base of the marine food web.
Dutch scientists have found that more than nine out of 10 European fulmars - seabirds that eat at sea - die with plastic rubbish in their stomachs. The stomach of one fulmar that died in Belgium contained 1 603 separate scraps of plastic.
Birds are not the only ones to suffer. Turtles, whales, seals and sea lions have all eaten plastic. But the most sinister problem might be a hidden one at the other end of the food chain. Small sand hoppers, barnacles and lugworms have also been found to have ingested tiny fragments of plastic, some of which are thinner than a human hair. Apart from the physical damage these particles cause, they might also transfer toxic chemicals to creatures at the base of the marine food web.
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