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Great Pacific garbage patch

Effect on marine life and humans

Affected species include sea turtles, the black-footed albatross,^[1] many species of whales,^[2] among many others.

Bioaccumulation of microplastics can have a huge affect on the food web, thus altering ecosystems and contributing to loss of biodiversity.^[3]

Direct harm to species

Multiple studies have found plastics and microplastics in the stomach contents of marine animals.^[4][5][6]

Plastics are ingested by various species of whales, such as beaked whales, baleen whales, and sperm whales. They can mistake plastics for food and consume them accidentally when feeding on prey organisms that are gathered near plastics. Plastics can also enter their system if their prey already had synthetic plastic particles in their digestive tract via bioaccumulation.^[2]

The ingestion of large amounts of plastic debris, such as fishnets and ropes, can lead to marine animal's deaths via gastric impaction.^[7] Microplastics can concentrate in the gills and intestines of marine life and can interfere with their feedings habits, typically resulting in death.^[3]

A study from 2019 indicates that the large amounts of plastic in the Great Pacific garbage patch could affect the behavior and distribution of some marine animals, as they can act as fish aggregating devices (FAD). FADs can attract feeding cetaceans, thus increasing the risk of being entangled or ingesting additional plastic.^[2]

The unaltered stomach contents of a dead albatross chick include a variety of plastic marine debris

Types of plastic

There are various types of ocean plastics causing problems to marine life.

Bottle caps have been found in the stomachs of turtles and seabirds, which have died because of the obstruction of their respiratory and digestive tracts.^[1]

Ghostnets are also a problematic type of ocean plastic as they can continuously trap marine life in a process known as ‘ghost fishing.’^[2]

Health effects

Plasticizers in microplastics have been linked to abnormal growth and reproductive problems in multiple animal models due to endocrine disruption. Microplastics have also been postulated to cause GI irritation, alteration of the microbiome, disturbance of energy and lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress.^[3]

Organic pollutants, such as pesticides, can leach into organisms that ingest microplastics, along with dangerous metals such as lead and cadmium.^[3]

Direct harm to humans

Ingestion of plastics has been associated with a variety of reproductive, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects.^[8] The most wellknown organic synthetic compound used in many plastics is bisphenol A (BPA).^[9] It has been linked with autoimmune disease and endocrine disrupting agents, leading to reduced male fertility and breast carcinogenesis. Plastics in the human system can cause inhibition of organismal detoxification mechanisms causing acute toxicity and lethality.^[1]

Nanoplastics are able to overcome the intestine tissue in aquatic systems^[10] and have the possibility to end up in the human food chain by inhalation or ingestion, particularly through shellfish and crustaceans.^[11] They have the potential to affect the central nervous system and reproductive system, although this would be unlikely unless exposure levels were very high and absorption levels were increased. In vitro studies from human cells showed evidence that polystyrene nanoparticles are taken up and can induce oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses.^[10]

However, most of the consequences of plastic ingestion in humans are still unknown and need to be studied.

1. Efferth, Thomas; Paul, Norbert W. (2017-11-01). "Threats to human health by great ocean garbage patches". The Lancet Planetary Health. 1 (8): e301–e303. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30140-7. ISSN 2542-5196. PMID 29628159.
2. Gibbs, Susan E.; Salgado Kent, Chandra P.; Slat, Boyan; Morales, Damien; Fouda, Leila; Reisser, Julia (2019-08-01). "Cetacean sightings within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch". Marine Biodiversity. 49 (4): 2021–2027. doi:10.1007/s12526-019-00952-0. ISSN 1867-1624.
3. Kontrick, Amy V. (2018-06-01). "Microplastics and Human Health: Our Great Future to Think About Now". Journal of Medical Toxicology. 14 (2): 117–119. doi:10.1007/s13181-018-0661-9. ISSN 1937-6995. PMC 5962470. PMID 29687221.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
4. Jacobsen, Jeff K.; Massey, Liam; Gulland, Frances (2010-05-01). "Fatal ingestion of floating net debris by two sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 60 (5): 765–767. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.03.008. ISSN 0025-326X.
5. Bravo Rebolledo, Elisa L.; Van Franeker, Jan A.; Jansen, Okka E.; Brasseur, Sophie M. J. M. (2013-02-15). "Plastic ingestion by harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in The Netherlands". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 67 (1): 200–202. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.11.035. ISSN 0025-326X.
6. Rosas-Luis, Rigoberto (2016-12-15). "Description of plastic remains found in the stomach contents of the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas landed in Ecuador during 2014". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 113 (1): 302–305. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.060. ISSN 0025-326X.
7. Jacobsen, Jeff K.; Massey, Liam; Gulland, Frances (2010-05-01). "Fatal ingestion of floating net debris by two sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 60 (5): 765–767. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.03.008. ISSN 0025-326X.
8. Wright, Stephanie L; Kelly, Frank J (2017-09-25). "Threat to human health from environmental plastics". BMJ: j4334. doi:10.1136/bmj.j4334. ISSN 0959-8138.
9. Huang, Michelle N. (2017-02-01). "Ecologies of Entanglement in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch". Journal of Asian American Studies. 20 (1): 95–117. doi:10.1353/jaas.2017.0006. ISSN 1096-8598.
10. Lehner, Roman; Weder, Christoph; Petri-Fink, Alke; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara (2019-01-10). "Emergence of Nanoplastic in the Environment and Possible Impact on Human Health". Environmental Science & Technology. 53 (4): 1748–1765. doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b05512. ISSN 0013-936X.
11. Waring, R.H.; Harris, R.M.; Mitchell, S.C. (2018-09). "Plastic contamination of the food chain: A threat to human health?". Maturitas. 115: 64–68. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.06.010. ISSN 0378-5122. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)