Marine plastic debris is one of the most concerning environmental issues facing Earth today. Marine entanglement, plastic ingestion, bioaccumulation of toxins, endocrine system disruption in humans - these are just a few of the devastating effects of plastic pollution. Our oceans are suffocating!
So how exactly is this impacting us? Plastic is broken down into smaller pieces when it enters the ocean. These tiny pieces act as sponges absorbing any toxins that are found in the water, adding to the chemicals that the plastic already contains. Wildlife such as fish, sea birds, sea turtles etc., then eat these plastic particles.
Once plastic is ingested, it cannot be digested or passed by an animal. The toxicity of the plastic is transferred into the fish’s flesh, which is then consumed by other animals and humans. The plastic fills the animal’s stomach with a substance that has no nutritional value, leaving no room for food required for survival, resulting in starvation and ultimately death.
Since plastic can take up to 1 000 years to break down; once an animal dies and decays after ingesting it, the plastic is then released back into the marine until it meets its next victim. And so begins the disastrous cycle, repeating itself all over again, for the next 1 000 years.
