Researchers reveal that birds of prey in Florida have been eating and drinking microplastics, and 86 percent comes from washing machine wastewater containing synthetic microfibers from cheap clothing
- Florida researchers found significant amounts of microplastics in birds of prey
- The research marks the first time anyone has confirmed plastics in birds of prey
- They analyzed 63 owls, ospreys, and hawks and found 1,200 plastic pieces
Birds of prey are the latest addition to the growing list of animals threatened by unintentionally ingesting microplastics.
According to new research from a team at the University of Central Florida, several different birds of prey species in the region have been found with microplastics accumulating in their digestive sysmtems, including ospreys, owls, and hawks.
The team analyzed 63 different birds and found almost 1,200 pieces of tiny plastic trapped in their stomachs or intestines.
Past research has documented microplastics in whales, fish, oysters, and even humans, and the team worries the latest finding hints at how potentially disruptive the presence of microplastics in the environment could be.
‘Birds of prey are top predators in the ecosystem and by changing the population or health status of the top predator, it completely alters all of the animals, organisms and habitats below them on the food web,’ UCF’s Julia Carlin told Eurekalert.
According to the team, inadvertently ingested microplastics could cause a range of major health issues for the birds, including interfering with their ability to absorb nutrients from food or slowly poisoning them.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, typically no larger the a pencil point, that break off from larger plastic manufactured goods.
They come from plastic bags and soda bottles, or laundry run-off mass produced clothing, which weave synthetic fibres with cotton to make clothes more durable.
Microplastics have also been found in a range of basic hygienge and beauty products like toothpaste, hair conditioner and facial cleanser, all of which regularly enter the water supply when people bathe or brush their teeth.
The team found the overwhelming majority of microplastics found in the birds–some 86%–came from synthetic microfibers like those found in mass produced cloths or cheap nylon ropes, which most likely entered the environment washing machine runoff.
The team suggests introducing new wastewater treatment tools to filter out microplastics and protect the birds.
‘We have all benefitted from the convenience of plastics, but plastics do not go away once produced,’ Walters said.