Ethan Clarke
Albatrosses are among the world's most imperiled vertebrates, with 73% of species threatened with extinction. One of the key drivers of this is plastic pollution. Plastic ingestion is an underestimated cause of death for albatrosses, with plastic causing starvation and death. Albatrosses often mistake plastic for food, and their method of catching prey by skimming the surface of the water with their beaks increases the likelihood of them consuming plastic. Plastic can tear or block their esophagus, stomach, or intestines, resulting in death. Even if it doesn't immediately kill them, plastic can stay in their stomach, taking up space and causing starvation over time.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for mistaking plastic for food | Albatrosses are attracted to plastic due to the chemical DMS that is emitted by the plastic after exposure to saltwater. |
| How does plastic kill albatrosses | Plastic pieces can tear or block their esophagus, stomach or intestines and result in immediate death. It can also stay in their stomach, taking up space available for food and causing starvation over time. |
| Percentage of albatross deaths due to plastic ingestion | In near-shore areas of Australia and New Zealand, plastic ingestion is likely to cause about 3.4% of albatross deaths. In more polluted near-shore areas, such as off the coast of Brazil, plastic ingestion causes 17.5% of albatross deaths. |
| Plastic pollution in the southern hemisphere | Albatrosses in the southern hemisphere are at risk due to the increasing amount of plastic pollution in the oceans. |
| Plastic ingestion causing diseases | Researchers have coined the term plasticosis to describe stomach damage related to ingesting plastic trash. |
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What You'll Learn
Albatrosses mistake plastic for food
Albatrosses are among the world's most imperiled vertebrates, with 73% of species threatened with extinction. Albatrosses spend their entire lives at sea and can live for more than 70 years. They have a wingspan of more than 6 feet, soaring vast distances without flapping their wings. They can go years without even touching land, and will often stick with a single mate for their entire lifespan.
Albatrosses are dying from ingesting plastic in the ocean. They often mistake plastic for food, which can tear or block their oesophagus, stomach, or intestines, resulting in death. Plastic can also stay in their stomach, taking up space for food and causing starvation. This is known as "plasticosis", a term coined by researchers to describe stomach damage related to ingesting trash.
Young albatrosses are especially prone to mistaking plastic for food, with potentially lethal consequences. In one instance, a 500ml plastic bottle and balloon fragments were found in the stomach of a southern royal albatross that died in care. Another example is the Laysan albatross, which has a habit of skimming the surface of the water with its beak to catch fish, squid, and other seafood, which often results in them accidentally catching floating plastic instead.
The ingestion of plastic by albatrosses is a well-recognized threat among three North Pacific species, but it is also an underestimated cause of death for southern hemisphere albatrosses. In the near-shore areas of Australia and New Zealand, plastic ingestion is likely to cause about 3.4% of albatross deaths, while in more polluted areas like Brazil, it is estimated to cause up to 17.5% of deaths.
Overall, the increasing amount of plastic pollution in the ocean poses a significant threat to albatross populations, and global cooperation is needed to reduce the leakage of plastic items into the ocean and prevent unnecessary deaths.
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Plastic ingestion causes starvation
Albatrosses are among the world's most imperiled seabirds, with 73% of species threatened with extinction. They are magnificent birds with a wingspan of more than six feet, and they can live for over half a century. Albatrosses spend most of their lives flying over the ocean and can go years without touching land.
Albatrosses are at risk of dying from ingesting plastic, which can tear or block their esophagus, stomach, or intestines, resulting in immediate death. Plastic can also stay in their stomach, taking up space for food and causing starvation over time. This is known as "plasticosis", a term coined by researchers to describe stomach damage related to ingesting trash.
Albatrosses often mistake plastic for food because of the chemical DMS, which is emitted by plastic after exposure to saltwater. This chemical tricks albatrosses into thinking plastic is food, and when they ingest it, the plastic takes up space in their stomachs, leading to nutritional deprivation and starvation. The plastic can also bond with other pollutants, increasing their concentration and causing organ damage and death.
Studies have shown that the ingestion of plastic is likely to cause about 3.4% of albatross deaths in near-shore areas of Australia and New Zealand. In more polluted areas, such as off the coast of Brazil, plastic ingestion causes an estimated 17.5% of all albatross deaths.
The problem of plastic pollution is not limited to the southern hemisphere, as plastic debris has been found floating in the Northern Pacific Ocean as well. Albatrosses are already suffering from declining survival rates and population numbers, and if plastic production and waste continue to increase, more species will be affected.
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Toxins in plastic lead to organ damage
Plastic is everywhere. It is in our food, water, and air. Humans are exposed to toxic chemicals and microplastics through inhalation, ingestion, and direct skin contact. These toxins do not just disappear once inside our bodies; they accumulate and can lead to organ damage and disease.
The health impacts of plastics are a relatively new research area, but the results so far are concerning. Scientific studies indicate that plastic causes diseases, disabilities, and premature death at every stage of its life cycle. The toxic chemical additives and pollutants found in plastics threaten human health on a global scale. These chemicals can directly damage organs, leading to disease over time. Some of these toxins are known as endocrine disruptors, which change old ideas about how "the dose makes the poison." While this is true for certain toxins, compounds that disrupt the endocrine system, such as bisphenols and phthalates, can have long-lasting effects on health even at low doses. Exposure to endocrine disruptors can increase the risk of obesity, metabolic disorders, neurodevelopmental problems, reproductive issues, and cancer.
In addition to endocrine disruptors, other chemicals found in plastics can also cause organ damage. For example, early life exposure to brominated flame retardants, which are found in plastics and incorporated into electronics, textiles, and furniture, has been linked to brain damage, reduced IQ in children, shortened attention spans, and ADHD. Vinyl chloride, another chemical used to make plastics, has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.
The production and use of plastic are not the only stages of its life cycle that pose health risks. Plastic waste also has significant impacts. As plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, these microplastics can be transported long distances through soil and wind, ending up in the most remote places on Earth. These microplastics can increase the toxicity of organic pollutants in the environment and have been found to cause damage to human cells.
The health risks associated with plastic exposure are not limited to humans. Albatrosses, for example, are dying from ingesting plastic in the ocean. As plastic pollution increases, the risk of albatrosses and other marine life consuming plastic rises. When albatrosses feed on plastic pieces, the plastic can tear or block their esophagus, stomach, or intestines, resulting in immediate death. Even if the plastic does not immediately kill the bird, it can stay in their stomach, taking up space and causing starvation over time.
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Albatross chicks are fed plastic
The plastic ingested by albatross parents is then regurgitated and fed to their chicks. While adult albatrosses are able to regurgitate the plastic they've swallowed, chicks are unable to do so. As a result, plastic fills up their stomachs, giving them a false sense of fullness and causing them to stop eating or drinking enough to survive. This can lead to starvation over time.
In addition, sharp plastic pieces can slice open a chick's stomach or intestines, or fatally obstruct their digestion. Plastic also absorbs toxic pollutants from seawater, releasing these toxins once inside the body of a warm-blooded animal.
The problem of plastic ingestion is particularly severe for Laysan albatross chicks on Midway Atoll, a remote Pacific island that serves as a refuge for millions of albatrosses. One study found that 97.5% of chicks on Midway Atoll had plastic in their stomachs. Another study examining albatrosses of 12 species found that plastic was the cause of death in half of the birds that had ingested it.
Photographer and filmmaker Chris Jordan has brought attention to this issue through his photographs and films, including "Albatross," which highlight the stark contrast between the colorful plastic ingested by chicks and their dead bodies.
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Human activities drive extinction
Albatrosses are among the world's most imperiled vertebrates, with human activities driving nearly three-quarters of all albatross species towards extinction. The primary human activity that is causing this is the dumping of plastic waste into the ocean.
Albatrosses are magnificent seabirds with a wingspan of up to 12 feet, larger than any other living bird. They can live for over 50 years and spend most of their lives flying over the ocean, sometimes staying over a year without touching down on land. They are highly migratory and feed on fish, squid, and other seafood by skimming the surface of the water with their beaks.
Unfortunately, the oceans have become increasingly polluted with plastic waste, which albatrosses mistake for food. This plastic waste comes from litter on land, which washes down storm drains and eventually makes its way to the ocean, and from fishing nets and lines discarded by fishing boats. Single-use items make up most of the trash found on coastlines worldwide, and plastic accounts for seven of the ten most common items, including drink bottles, food wrappers, and grocery bags.
When albatrosses ingest plastic, it can tear or block their oesophagus, stomach, or intestines, resulting in immediate death. Plastic can also stay in their stomachs, taking up space that could be used for food, leading to malnutrition and starvation over time. In addition, the ingestion of plastic can cause severe stomach damage, a condition researchers have coined "plasticosis". Of the 107 albatrosses of 12 species examined in one study, plastic was the cause of death in half of the birds that had ingested it. Another study found that in the near-shore areas of Australia and New Zealand, plastic ingestion is likely to cause about 3.4% of albatross deaths, while in more polluted areas like Brazil, it is estimated to cause up to 17.5% of albatross deaths.
In addition to plastic pollution, other human activities that contribute to the extinction of albatrosses include overfishing, which reduces fish stocks, and the accidental catching of albatrosses as bycatch by fishing boats. It is estimated that 100,000 birds are killed as bycatch each year, and while conservation efforts have successfully reduced albatross deaths in South Africa by 99% since 2006, 15 out of 22 albatross species are still threatened with extinction.
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Frequently asked questions
Albatrosses are magnificent seabirds with a wingspan of over 12 feet, and they spend most of their lives flying over the ocean. They catch their food by skimming the surface of the water with their beaks. Albatrosses ingest plastic because they mistake it for food.
When albatrosses eat plastic, the pieces can tear or block their oesophagus, stomach or intestines, resulting in immediate death. Plastic can also stay in their stomach, taking up space for food and causing starvation over time. This condition has been termed "plasticosis".
Albatrosses are already among the world's most imperilled seabirds, with 73% of species threatened with extinction. Plastic is a significant contributor to this, with ingestion of plastic estimated to cause 3.4% of albatross deaths in near-shore areas of Australia and New Zealand, and 17.5% of deaths in more polluted areas like Brazil.
