By Abdullahi Lukman
Plastic ingestion is causes brain damage in seabird chicks, similar to the effects seen in Alzheimer’s disease, a study has revealed.
This research highlights the growing impact of plastic pollution on marine wildlife, particularly migratory birds like the sable shearwater, which travel between Australia’s Lord Howe Island and Japan.
Researchers from the University of Tasmania, Australia analyzed dozens of young sable shearwaters and found that many had ingested significant amounts of plastic waste mistakenly fed to them by their parents.
The study, published in Science Advances, showed that plastic buildup led to severe health issues, including damage to the stomach lining, cell rupture, liver and kidney dysfunction, and neurodegeneration.
Blood tests on the chicks revealed protein patterns resembling those found in humans with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, indicating severe damage to their brain health.
Alix de Jersey, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania and lead researcher of the study, explained that while plastic ingestion in seabirds has been known since the 1960s, previous research mainly focused on emaciated birds.
This study aimed to understand the impact on seemingly healthy birds that had consumed plastic but appeared outwardly fit.
“It’s almost equivalent to a small child having Alzheimer’s,” de Jersey said, highlighting the severe impact on the birds’ neuronal health.
Shearwaters, a species particularly affected by plastic pollution, have been found to ingest alarming amounts of plastic.
In one instance, a single chick was found to have more than 400 pieces of plastic in its stomach, with some birds carrying plastic that accounts for 5-10 percent of their total body weight.
Although some chicks are able to vomit up plastic waste before migrating, the large quantities they ingest make it unlikely that they can expel all of it.
The birds examined in this study were given treatment to remove the plastic, allowing them to begin their migration without further contamination.
However, de Jersey expressed concern about their chances of survival: “It’s almost a death sentence for these chicks knowing the condition of their body before starting their migration, it’s quite challenging to imagine they would make it to the other end.”
This study adds to the growing body of evidence on the devastating effects of plastic pollution, which is predominantly caused by a few multinational corporations.
Previous research has found that fewer than 60 companies are responsible for over half of the world’s plastic pollution, with six companies accounting for a quarter of it.
