The effects of plastic waste on animals are widespread and deeply concerning

Plastic ingestion, entanglement, habitat degradation, chemical contamination – all damage our planet, its wildlife and the ecosystems

Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most devastating environmental issues of our time. As plastic polluters like Coca-Cola sell a billion single-use plastic bottles in Aotearoa each year, the devastating impact of plastic pollution on wildlife becomes increasingly evident and deadly.

It’s clear that trying to deal with the endless stream of plastic just isn’t working. We need to stop plastic production at its source!

The plastic pollution crisis is a global problem that needs a global solution!

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So how does plastic pollution affect wildlife?

From marine ecosystems to terrestrial habitats, the effects of plastic waste on animals are widespread and deeply concerning. One of the most disturbing consequences of plastic pollution is wildlife’s ingestion of plastic. Animals often mistake plastic debris for food, leading to dire consequences.

So, how does plastic pollution affect wildlife?

Plastic ingestion

Marine creatures like sea turtles, whales, and seabirds like the toroa (Royal Southern Albatross) may ingest plastic bags, bottle caps, and other plastic fragments. These indigestible materials can cause blockages in their digestive systems, leading to starvation, malnutrition, and even death.

Plastic particles can also accumulate toxins over time, posing additional health risks to animals that consume them.

Our call for the single-use plastic bottle to be banned followed the devastating death of a majestic toroa who died due to complications from swallowing a whole plastic bottle. It spawned the support of more than 100,000 people who signed the petition calling for a ban on single-use plastic bottles and for refill and reuse systems to be implemented.

Entanglement and injuries

Discarded fishing nets, plastic ropes, and packaging materials are hazardous to wildlife due to the entanglement they cause. Sea turtles, seals, and seabirds can become trapped in these materials, resulting in injuries, amputations, and a slow and painful death.

The physical entanglement disrupts animals’ ability to move, hunt, and feed, thereby impacting their overall survival and reproductive success.

Habitat degradation

Plastic pollution not only directly harms animals but also contributes to habitat degradation. As plastic waste accumulates in ecosystems, it disrupts the natural balance and functioning of habitats.

Coral reefs, for instance, are critical marine ecosystems that suffer from plastic pollution. When plastic debris smothers corals, it prevents them from receiving essential sunlight, stifling their growth and weakening the entire ecosystem that relies on them.

Chemical contamination

Plastics are composed of various chemicals, many of which are harmful to both humans and animals. When plastic waste breaks down into smaller particles, known as microplastics, these particles can absorb and concentrate toxic pollutants from the surrounding environment.

As animals consume these microplastics, they inadvertently ingest these pollutants, which can disrupt their endocrine systems, cause reproductive issues, weaken immune systems, and potentially lead to long-term health problems.

In 2021, a University of Waikato study revealed “extremely high levels” of microplastics around Bay of Plenty moana. University of Waikato master of science student Anita Lewis found the particles in every sediment sample she took from across the region, between Tauranga Harbour and the eastern coast to Maketu and Ōpōtiki. The findings sparked health concerns for the people who live in the marine ecosystem.

At the time, Greenpeace Aotearoa plastics campaigner Juressa Lee said: “The findings are horrendous; there was not one area sampled where microplastics were not present. There were particularly high levels in shellfish, including tuatua, cockles and wedge shells.”

Ban the bottle now!

Plastic pollution’s impact on wildlife is a grave concern that demands immediate attention and concerted efforts. The alarming consequences of plastic ingestion, entanglement, habitat degradation, chemical contamination and ecosystem disruption paint a bleak picture of the state of our planet’s ecosystems. However, it’s not too late to reverse the damage.

Using less plastic and making sure to recycle helps. But it isn’t enough. We need to stop plastic production at the source. We’re calling on the government to ban plastic bottles. Join the movement.

Collective action, policy changes, and individual choices are vital to combating plastic pollution and safeguarding the well-being of wildlife. By working together to reduce our plastic footprint, we can ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for both animals and the planet as a whole.

Ocean pollution is killing marine life — will humans be next? The idea of eating microplastics sounds scary, but that’s what’s happening as uncontrollable seawater pollution poisons and kills fish, sea turtles and shellfish.

Marine life often mistakes tiny, floating toxic particles as food, consuming them with gusto to appease their hunger. Where do these fish end up next? It might be on your plate.

Find out how ocean contaminants affect human health and why it’s critical to minimize pollution.

1. Microplastics Ingestion

It takes 20 to 500 years for plastics to degrade. However, they don’t disappear entirely like biodegradables. Instead, they’re broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics that pollute the ocean and its marine life.

Foamed polystyrene claims the spotlight among types of marine litter. It comprises 10%-40% of plastic waste in waterways. Since it’s easily fragmented, the winds and waves carry it to the ocean, causing significant pollution and harm to sea life.

Your favorite fish and shellfish may mistake those contaminants for food and eat them. Then, they may end up in your local fisherman’s boat and later on your plate as a delicious buttered shrimp or grilled salmon. The toxic chemicals from the microplastics they ingest can kill healthy cells, harm your immune system and intestinal barrier function, and promote oxidative stress.

You don’t know if the delectable grilled fish you consumed at a local restaurant has eaten plastic, so limiting your seafood may be wise.

2. Extended Exposure to Toxins

In addition to eating seafood, humans ingest microplastics through salt. This kitchen mineral is present in all households and is used to season dishes. People may grab a pinch or more daily to sprinkle on their steaks, pasta or salads.

Salt comes from evaporated seawater — the same water contaminated with microplastics. One study found a wide range of these tiny particles in different salt types.

200-400 particles per kilogram in rock salts

1,400-1,900 particles kilogram in refined sea salt

1,900-2,300 particles per kilogram in unrefined sea salts

Researchers discovered polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon and polystyrene in these salts. Because of extended exposure to these toxins, humans may ingest 0.1-5 grams of microplastics weekly, increasing the risks to their health.

Unfortunately, experts haven’t identified how much consumed microplastics can harm health. Moreover, most people are unaware they’re eating them. Reducing your salt use and increasing your plant-based options are healthier.

3. Exacerbated Harmful Algal Blooms

Photo by Lany-Jade Mondou on Pexels.com

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur when seaweed grows uncontrollably and produces dangerous toxins that affect marine mammals, birds, fish, shellfish and humans.

They can produce toxins that kill fish, birds and mammals and make humans sick — or, in extreme cases — cause death. How is this related to ocean pollution? It all goes back to climate change.

HABs are exacerbated by ocean pollution. Due to climate change, marine and freshwater environments are acidifying, warming and deoxygenating, which intensifies the blooms of harmful algae.

Many HAB species can produce potent biotoxins that bivalve shellfish absorb. If you accidentally consume them, you may experience severe health issues and life-threatening shellfish poisoning syndrome. Some specific HAB toxins can be converted into an aerosol, causing respiratory problems in humans near or downwind of blooms. With exacerbating ocean pollution, limiting your seafood intake may be a better decision.

4. Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Another adverse impact of ocean pollution on human health is the growing number of bacteria resistant to common antibiotics.

Researchers collected plastic samples from 18 coastal sites in Northern Ireland. It turned out that food-related marine microplastic litter or materials used for food packaging — such as milk and sandwich containers and juice bottles — contained 13 types of bacteria.

These were 98.1% resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics — like cefpodoxime, ampicillin and ceftazidime — and 16.1% resistant to tetracycline groups like minocycline. These antibiotic-tolerant bacteria can seep into seafood that humans and animals ultimately consume. They pose serious health risks that may be untreatable with antibiotics.

5. Nervous System Damage

Plastic may be the main contributor to water pollution. However, toxic metals, petroleum, manufactured chemicals, urban and industrial wastes, fertilizers, and pesticides also make their way to the ocean. Over 80% of waste in seawater comes from land-based sources. Exposure to these contaminants can lead to mental and physical health worries.

Ingestion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury affects babies. Pregnant women who unknowingly consume seafood contaminated with these toxins increase the risk of their unborn young ones having undeveloped brains, reduced IQ and mental health problems like autism, ADHD and learning disorders.

Meanwhile, adults exposed to methylmercury are more likely to develop dementia and cardiovascular diseases. Other manufactured chemicals from plastic wastes are capable of interrupting endocrine signaling, reducing male fertility, elevating the risk of cancer and damaging the brain.

Minimizing Ocean Pollution Protects Human Health

There’s a direct correlation between human health and ocean pollution. Seafood is a critical food source, and what fish and shellfish consume can also end up in your stomach. Therefore, reducing the contaminants that flow into the ocean must be treated with the highest priority. These toxins are a threat to public health.

Doing your part in minimizing plastic waste, controlling and managing it, and making eco-friendly choices are simple ways to make a difference and protect your well-being. Join the collective in preserving marine ecosystems for the good of the many.

What are macroplastics and microplastics?

Larger pieces of plastic, such as bags, six-pack rings, straws, bottles, ropes, and take-out containers, are called macroplastics. In addition to being an eyesore when they wash up on our beaches, macroplastics can pose a threat to wildlife through entanglement or consumption, when they’re mistaken for food. But the deadly dangers of plastic debris don’t stop there. When plastic breaks down into microplastics, it becomes a different kind of threat to wildlife. Microplastics, particles smaller than five millimeters in size, constitute over 90% of surface water marine plastics. Smaller fish, or those species low on the food chain like plankton and oysters, consume microplastics when filtering water. Microplastics and the toxins they contain get passed upwards through the food chain, eventually getting ingested by large marine animals and humans, particularly in rural, Indigenous, and low-income communities that rely on wild animals for consumption.

When ingested by small animals like birds and fish, microplastics can block the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and prevent these animals from digesting food. Microplastics have been known to cause a decline in feeding behaviour, lowered fertility, and slowed growth and development in some species.

Sadly, many of our toothpastes, body washes, scrubs, and other sanitary items still contain microbeads, a type of microplastic that’s added as an exfoliant to health and beauty products. Microbeads are now banned in the US, Canada, and the UK, with several other countries considering bans, but they’re still an ingredient in millions of items across the globe. Most water municipalities aren’t equipped to detect or remove these microbeads, so they end up passing through the treatment process and entering our waterways.

The ghost gear problem

Beyond what we think of as typical plastic waste in the ocean, there is the issue of ghost gear—lost, abandoned, or discarded plastic fishing gear. It remains in the ocean, travelling on the currents and trapping everything in its path. Because this gear is no longer being monitored, it roams free, killing millions of marine animals as it drifts through the ocean, including critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Ghost gear causes significant financial losses to fisheries as well as damage to boats.

Sea turtles have stood the test of time. They are among the oldest living creatures on Earth. Their origins date back at least 110 million years ago, when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth.

But plastic pollution threatens the future of these amazing survivors. At least 11 million metric tons of plastic pollution enter the ocean per year, and without urgent action to cut plastic production, this number is expected to triple by 2040. With more than 170 trillion plastic particles estimated to be floating on the ocean’s surface alone—and with many more accumulating beneath the waves and on the seafloor—plastic poses a serious threat to sea turtles (and all marine life).

Swimming Through Oceans of Plastic: How Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Turtles

Sea turtles spend their lives traveling the oceans. Female sea turtles will not rest until they reach what they feel is a suitable nesting spot to lay their eggs. For example, in the Atlantic Ocean, female leatherback sea turtles migrate from their nesting grounds on Caribbean beaches to feed in waters off the coast of Canada, an incredible distance of roughly 10,000 miles. When baby sea turtles hatch from their eggs, these tiny creatures must dig their way out of the sand and dodge predator animals as they hurry into the ocean. And that’s just the beginning of their journeys covering super-long distances on ocean currents.

Sea turtles become entangled and entrapped in plastic

Even before they reach the water, newly hatched sea turtles have to navigate through piles of microplastics and plastic items just to make it from the nest to the sea. Mother sea turtles are forced to dig their nests and lay their eggs on beaches increasingly covered by plastic pollution. Entanglements and entrapments in all sorts of plastic items, from car tires to abandoned fishing gear, on land and at sea are common for sea turtles—and are almost always deadly.

Sea turtles ingest plastic pollution

All seven of the world’s sea turtle species ingest plastic. In some populations, more than 90% of individual turtles have ingested microplastics. It seems that younger turtles, and species that feed primarily on the ocean’s surface, generally ingest the greatest amounts of plastic. Just one piece of plastic can spell disaster for a sea turtle: Scientists have found that sea turtles who ingest just one piece of plastic have a one in five chance of premature death; turtles who ingest 14 pieces of plastic have a 50% chance of dying early. Much of the risk comes from physical blockages that plastic items, fragments, and microplastics can create in sea turtles’ digestive systems.

Plastic chemicals harm sea turtle health

In addition to the physical dangers of plastic, its chemicals also pose a risk to sea turtle survival. Plastics contain any mixture of at least 16,000 chemicals, including about 4,200 of which are already known to be hazardous—such as bisphenols (like BPA), dioxins, flame retardants, PFAS, and heavy metals. Plastic chemicals cause numerous and serious health problems in all animals, including sea turtles. Heavy metals in plastics have been linked to hormone-disrupting effects that can feminize sea turtle populations. BPA can have similar feminizing effects on turtles, and can cause infertility. Scientists have also found a connection between plastic and other pollution and harmful tumors that develop on sea turtles.

Plastic pollution on beaches feminizes sea turtles

The sex of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature of the sand surrounding their egg. Usually, male sea turtles hatch deeper in the cooler parts of their mothers’ sand nests, while females hatch in the warmer sands closer to the top of these nests. Sea turtle populations are being feminized not only by plastic chemicals, but also by the way that microplastics raise the temperature of sand on beaches. This effect is made more extreme by climate change, to which plastic production, shipping, and disposal is a significant contributing factor. As a result, on the Great Barrier Reef, 99% of sea turtle hatchlings are now being born female. Experts say the eventual total feminization of the species is a real and unfortunate possibility, a major survival risk.

Take Action

Plastic pollution poses a serious threat to the survival of sea turtles, and all other life on Earth. This World Sea Turtle Day and every day, there are many things you can do to take action toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.

Learn more about sea turtles

To learn more, a great book to check out is Christine Figgener’s book, My Life With Sea Turtles: A Marine Biologist’s Quest to Protect One of the Most Ancient Animals on Earth. In 2015, when Figgener and a team of scientists posted a disturbing video of them extracting a plastic straw out of a turtle’s nose, it incited the worldwide conversation around the real dangers of single-use plastics. Figgener’s dedication to protecting sea turtles shines in this heartwarming book.

It’s never too early to gain appreciation of and respect the Earth and all life. Makana Is A Gift by Janet Lucy and illustrated by Alexis Cantu is an inspiring and beautiful educational children’s book about sea turtles perfect for storytime with your little one(s).

If you’re into podcasts, we recommend tuning into this episode of the Daily Rally from Outside Magazine, which features Plastic Pollution Coalition Founding Advisor and Scientific Advisor Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, a sea turtle expert whose book Blue Mind shows us how being near, in, on, or under water is good for our body, minds, and spirits.

Take steps to end plastic pollution

Making small changes to your life, in addition to advocating for systemic change that will help end plastic production and wastefulness, helps celebrate and care for sea turtles and everyone on Earth. Avoiding plastic is better for your health too. If you’re planning on having a beach picnic this summer, essentials like utensils, food containers, and cups all have reusable glass, metal, and wooden options. Make sure to take everything you carry in with you back home to help keep beaches safer for sea turtles.