The saying "you are what you eat" has likely caused many of us to think more carefully about what we consume. It's less likely, however, that most of us think about what what we eat is eating. Scientists are concerned about this, as they have discovered a new risk associated with what some of our seafood is ingesting.
What's happening?
As detailed by Phys.org, a team of scientists led by the University of Exeter was given new insight into plastic's environmental risk after studying the "burden" of plastic in animal species recovered from the seafloor. All plastic eventually sinks to the seafloor, where there is a ton of biodiversity.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed scientists found that not only does sealife's risk of exposure to plastic reflect local pollution levels, but it also depends on how species feed and interact with their close environment.
"We know very little about the global seafloor and the species living there," Adam Porter from the University of Exeter told Phys.org. "But the impact of plastic pollution is growing even in parts of the deep ocean never seen by humans."
The team found that animals living in areas with high levels of plastic pollution, like the Yellow and Mediterranean Seas, carried the highest burden of plastic.
Microplastics were found in seafloor animals in 93% of studies, with predators, omnivores, and scavenging deposit feeders — crabs, sea urchins, and squid among them — being the most likely to ingest the plastic.
Filter feeders like mussels have more effective methods to keep unwanted materials like plastic out.
Why is this information important?
Just as we are what we eat, we are also what we eat eats.
As Professor Jasmin Godbold, a co-author of the study, said, "Organisms living in the seabed, such as clams, worms and shrimps may not seem that important, but they are essential for regulating and recycling the planet's resources and form the base of the food web."
If the seafood we eat is ingesting microplastics (spoiler alert: it is), then so are we. While scientists are still researching the full health effects of microplastics, they have linked them to certain types of cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer's, and fertility issues, among other issues.
The study's findings will help researchers and policymakers target action and fill knowledge gaps in the lead-up to the first Global Plastics Treaty, according to Phys.org.
"Such items may only be used for minutes or even seconds," Professor Tamara Galloway from the University of Exeter said about plastics, "but they persist in the ocean for hundreds of years."
What can be done about plastic in our oceans?
While many are working on ingenious ways to rid our oceans of plastic, Galloway said, "The only true conservation strategy is to stop producing so much plastic — especially single-use plastic."
We can all do our part to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans by taking small actions like ditching single-use water bottles and plastic bags, swapping out single-use health and beauty products, and supporting brands with plastic-free packaging.
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