Plastic pollution is a serious global problem that impacts all living things and crucial ecosystems. In the ocean, scientists have determined that microplastics are being spread through animal waste at surprising levels. 

What's happening?

A research team from Tel Aviv University found that marine animals consume plastic and excrete microplastics in their feces. A write-up calls this phenomenon "alarming."

The particles are so small that they aren't identifiable and are being consumed by other marine life. This plastic spread causes buildups, harms ecosystems, and increases carbon and nitrogen levels on the seafloor.

Noa Shenkar explained that the team investigated "whether and how plastic changes after passing through the digestive system of a marine organism and how this process affects the presence of plastic and its availability to other organisms."

According to the university's report, fish consumed about 90% of the plastic particles present in the water after two hours, but after passing through the digestive system, all particles returned to the water after 48 hours. The researchers detailed their findings from a controlled study in a paper published in Chemosphere.

"Since many marine animals feed on feces, they may well ingest plastic that has changed its properties, identifying it as food. In this way, they are also exposed to microplastics and spread them further within the marine food web," said Eden Harel, a Ph.D. student at the university and co-author of the study. 

Why is this concerning? 

They said that the transformations plastic particles undergo turn them into carriers of pollutants and diseases, which can do significant harm.

This comes as researchers caution that the spread of microplastics may be a serious health emergency. A wave of research is studying the effects of microplastics in the human body and what these particles are doing to us. While scientists haven't made any definitive proclamations, indications are that microplastics are a significant concern. 

What can I do to help?

The researchers concluded: "Plastic pollution in the marine environment has many unexpected dimensions. … As time goes on, plastic continues to harm more and more marine ecosystems. We must develop new technologies to mitigate this dangerous phenomenon."

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Fortunately, new and developing microplastic removal technologies provide hope, and more could be on the way. You can reduce your contribution to the crisis by buying less plastic. Grocery shopping with a reusable cloth bag and swapping your disposable plastic razor for a durable metal one are two simple and cost-effective actions you can take.

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