Chloe Zhang
Plastic pollution is a pressing issue that affects all wildlife, including those in the ocean and on land. Animals may mistake plastic for food or consume it while eating, leading to intestinal blockages and, in some cases, death. Plastic waste can also entangle animals, causing deep cuts and restricting their movement, feeding, and growth. Microplastics, which are minuscule plastic fragments, have been found in hundreds of species, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals, leading to liver and cell damage and reproductive issues. With plastic production and consumption increasing, it is essential to address the harmful impacts of plastic pollution on animal life.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Impact on wildlife | Marine, rural and terrestrial animals are all affected by plastic pollution. |
| Plastic ingestion | Animals mistake plastic for food, which can cause intestinal blockage and death. It can also give a false sense of fullness, leading to starvation. |
| Plastic entanglement | Plastic can get wrapped around animals, causing immobility, distress, and death. It can also impair an animal's ability to hunt or defend itself. |
| Microplastics | Microplastics have been found in hundreds of species, causing liver and cell damage, and disrupting reproductive systems. They can pass through digestive systems and enter water sources and soil, affecting terrestrial animals and soil fauna. |
| Chemical introduction | Plastics can introduce harmful chemicals into the bodies of animals, including heavy metals, PCBs, and other pollutants. These chemicals can then enter the food chain, affecting humans and other species. |
| Environmental impact | Plastic pollution in oceans and on land can lead to a decline in species diversity and fertility. It also affects the health of marine ecosystems and soil quality. |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic ingestion
Plastic bags, which can take up to 1,000 years to break down, are a particular hazard. They have been found lodged in the throats of turtles and whales, causing suffocation or a false sense of fullness, leading to starvation. In 2013, a sperm whale died from intestinal blockage due to 59 pieces of plastic waste in its digestive system. Intestinal blockages caused by plastic ingestion have also been observed in birds, leading to starvation as they are unable to fly and hunt.
Microplastics, which are miniature plastic fragments, can pass through the digestive systems of some animals without consequence. However, they have been found in hundreds of species, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. Microplastics have been linked to liver and cell damage, as well as disruptions to reproductive systems, threatening population growth.
Chlorinated plastic, such as food packaging and medical devices, can release harmful chemicals into the environment. These chemicals can be absorbed by fish, entering the bodies of humans and other animals higher up on the food chain. Plastic pollution introduces a "chemical cocktail" to aquatic animals, including "endocrine disruptors," which can negatively impact the endocrine system, immune system, reproductive health, development, and neurological responses.
The impact of plastic ingestion is not limited to marine life. Land animals, such as raccoons, birds, and domestic animals, are also at risk. They may ingest plastic directly or consume it while eating leftover food from containers. This can lead to similar health issues and death, as well as impede their movement and ability to escape predators.
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Entanglement and movement restriction
Plastic waste in the environment poses a serious threat to wildlife, and entanglement is one of the main ways it does so. Birds, in particular, are vulnerable to becoming entangled in plastic, with a 2015 review finding that 25% of seabird species have been recorded entangled in plastic, a figure that increases to 36% when including unpublished records like those found on Google Images. This is more obvious than ingestion, with the consequences including injury, impeded mobility, and drowning.
Indeed, entanglement can have several negative consequences for wildlife, as those entangled may run out of air and drown, or starve to death due to the restriction of their movement. Smaller marine animals may drown immediately if the gear is too large. Larger animals, such as whales, can usually pull gear off the ocean floor, but they are still at risk of exhaustion and infection. Entanglement is considered a primary cause of human-induced mortality in many whale species, including right whales, humpback whales, and gray whales.
Entanglement can also cause physical trauma and infection from the gear cutting into the flesh of the animal. For example, a platypus was rescued after a plastic bag wrapped around its body, cutting deep into its skin. Another example is the case of racoons, which often get stuck in plastic ring beverage holders, causing deep cuts and slices on their bodies.
Fishing gear is responsible for entangling most species, and marine animals like whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and sea turtles often become entangled in this way. Many objects can entangle marine life, including lost or abandoned gear, rope or line, and trash such as plastic bags.
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Microplastics and chemical exposure
Plastic pollution is a pressing issue that affects all wildlife, including those in the ocean and on land. Microplastics, in particular, pose a significant threat to animals through ingestion and chemical exposure.
Due to their minuscule size, microplastics can easily pass through the digestive systems of animals without being expelled. However, scientific studies have detected plastic fragments in a vast number of species, including 86% of sea turtle species, 44% of seabird species, and 43% of marine mammal species. The presence of microplastics has been linked to liver and cell damage, as well as disruptions to reproductive systems. For example, oysters may produce fewer eggs, threatening their population growth. Additionally, larval fish are found to consume nanofibers within days of hatching, indicating the early stages of exposure to microplastics in their ecosystems.
The impact of microplastics extends beyond marine life. Terrestrial microplastic pollution has resulted in a decline in soil fauna, such as mites, larvae, and other small creatures. This decrease in biodiversity leads to less fertile soil and land. Furthermore, chlorinated plastic, commonly found in food packaging and medical devices, can release harmful chemicals into the surrounding environment, posing additional risks to both wildlife and humans.
The ingestion of microplastics by animals has severe consequences. It can cause intestinal blockages, leading to a slow and painful death. Plastic waste in the ocean is often mistaken for food by marine animals, resulting in their consumption of plastic particles. This issue is prevalent in the Hawaiian monk seal, which inhabits areas near the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, one of the worst-affected oceans.
Chemical exposure from microplastics poses a significant threat to the health of aquatic animals, particularly their reproductive health. These chemicals, such as "endocrine disruptors," can impact the endocrine system, compromising the immune system, reproductive functions, development, neurological responses, and overall growth. As fish absorb these chemicals, they enter the bodies of higher-level consumers in the food chain, including humans, through the consumption of contaminated seafood.
To address the dangers of microplastics and chemical exposure, it is crucial to reduce plastic consumption and improve waste management practices. By minimizing the presence of microplastics in the environment, we can protect the health and biodiversity of both marine and terrestrial ecosystems, ensuring the safety and well-being of various animal species.
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Intestinal blockages
Plastic waste is harmful to wildlife and humans. Marine and coastal species are affected by entanglement and ingestion of plastic, which they mistake for food. Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals, and turtles are killed annually due to plastic bag litter in the ocean. Plastic bags, once ingested, cannot be digested or passed by animals and remain in the gut, causing intestinal blockages and preventing food digestion. This can lead to a slow and painful death.
In August 2000, a Bryde's whale died after becoming stranded on a beach in Cairns. An autopsy revealed that its stomach was packed with 6 square meters of plastic, including many plastic bags. In another instance, a pelican was found dead in Kiama after eating 17 plastic bags. Plastic ingestion can also cause internal bleeding and organ failure, as seen in the case of a wild elephant in Periyar, India, that died from ingesting plastic waste.
Plastic waste can cause intestinal blockages and fatal damage to land animals as well. Various land-based mammals, including elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, and cattle, have accidentally consumed plastic waste, leading to unnecessary deaths. For example, in 2019, a turtle hatchling was found dead with 104 pieces of plastic in its stomach.
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters long, can pass through animals' digestive systems and be expelled without consequence. However, their presence has been linked to liver and cell damage and disruptions to reproductive systems in some species. According to the United Nations, over 51 trillion microplastic particles already contaminate the world's oceans, and it is predicted that 99% of marine species will consume microplastics by 2050 if plastic pollution continues unchecked.
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Wounds and loss of limbs
Plastic waste is extremely harmful to wildlife, with around 11 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the ocean each year. Plastic pollution impacts all wildlife, including those on land and in the ocean. It is ingested by animals, who mistake it for food, and causes internal damage, such as intestinal blockages, internal bleeding, and organ failure. It can also cause external wounds and the loss of limbs.
Animals can become entangled in plastic waste, causing deep cuts and lacerations. For example, racoons often get stuck in plastic ring beverage holders, which slice into their bodies. Similarly, birds can become entangled in plastic ribbons from balloons, which wrap around their legs or necks, impeding their ability to fly and hunt.
Marine mammals, such as whales, are particularly vulnerable to plastic waste. Whales can become entangled in discarded fishing nets, which cut into their flesh, causing them to lose fins or tails. Other whales are forced to swim with the nets, unable to escape. Sea lions, dolphins, and seals are also regularly entangled in plastic, as are turtles, who play with plastic objects, unaware of the danger they pose.
The sharp threads of nets can cause severe wounds and infections, which may lead to the amputation of limbs. Entanglement in plastic can also cause reduced mobility, making it difficult for animals to find food and escape predators. This can lead to starvation, suffocation, and eventual death.
The presence of plastic in the environment, therefore, has severe consequences for wildlife, causing wounds and loss of limbs, as well as internal damage and death.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic waste in the ocean harms marine animals in several ways. Marine animals often mistake plastic for food, which can lead to intestinal blockages and a slow, painful death. Plastic can also cause obstructions in the throat, making it difficult for animals to breathe or feed. In addition, plastic waste can entangle marine animals, impeding their movement, feeding, and growth.
Plastic waste on land is also dangerous to wild and domesticated animals. Animals can get stuck in plastic waste, causing discomfort, wounds, and even loss of limbs. Plastic can also impede a bird's ability to fly and hunt. Microplastics can leech into soil and water sources, leading to a decrease in species that live below the surface, such as mites and larvae, and resulting in less fertile soil.
When animals ingest plastic, they may also be consuming harmful chemicals such as heavy metals, PCBs, and other pollutants. These chemicals can then enter the bodies of humans and other animals higher up on the food chain, potentially leading to health risks. In addition, microplastics have been found to cause liver and cell damage, as well as disruptions to reproductive systems, threatening population growth for some species.
