TY - JOUR
T1 - The one-two punch of plastic exposure
T2 - Macro- and micro-plastics induce multi-organ damage in seabirds
AU - Rivers-Auty, Jack
AU - Bond, Alexander L.
AU - Grant, Megan L.
AU - Lavers, Jennifer L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Special thanks to Pure Ocean Fund , Detached Cultural Organization , Lynton Mortensen (Ocean Plastic Relay - Day of 30) , and the Natural History Museum for providing funding for this project. Logistical support was provided by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Service and Lord Howe Island community, especially Justin Gilligan, Caitlin Woods, and Theresa Adams. Assistance in the field was provided by two incredibly generous volunteers, Paul Sharp and Silke Stuckenbrock (Two Hands Project). Samples were collected with the permission of the Lord Howe Island Board (permit no. 07/18) under the approval of the University of Tasmania Animal Ethics Committee (permit no. A18480) and New South Wales Office of Environment & Heritage (licence no. SL100619), a proof of certificate is available upon request. Comments from two anonymous reviewers improved earlier drafts.
Funding Information:
Special thanks to Pure Ocean Fund, Detached Cultural Organization, Lynton Mortensen (Ocean Plastic Relay - Day of 30), and the Natural History Museum for providing funding for this project. Logistical support was provided by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Service and Lord Howe Island community, especially Justin Gilligan, Caitlin Woods, and Theresa Adams. Assistance in the field was provided by two incredibly generous volunteers, Paul Sharp and Silke Stuckenbrock (Two Hands Project). Samples were collected with the permission of the Lord Howe Island Board (permit no. 07/18) under the approval of the University of Tasmania Animal Ethics Committee (permit no. A18480) and New South Wales Office of Environment & Heritage (licence no. SL100619), a proof of certificate is available upon request. Comments from two anonymous reviewers improved earlier drafts.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/10/8
Y1 - 2022/10/8
N2 - Plastic pollution in the world's oceans is ubiquitous and increasing. The environment is inundated with microplastics (< 1 mm), and the health effects of these less conspicuous pollutants is poorly known. In addition, there is now evidence that macroplastics can release microplastics in the form of shedding or digestive fragmentation, meaning there is potential for macroplastic exposure to induce direct and indirect pathology through microplastics. Therefore, there is an urgent need for data from wild populations on the relationship between macro- and microplastic exposure and the potential compounding pathological effects of these forms of plastics. We investigated the presence and impact of microplastics in multiple tissues from Flesh-footed Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes, a species that ingests considerable quantities of plastics, and used histopathological techniques to measure physiological responses and inflammation from the plastics. All organs examined (kidney, spleen, proventriculus) had embedded microplastic particles and this correlated with macroplastic exposure. Considerable tissue damage was recorded, including a significant reduction in tubular glands and rugae in the proventriculus, and evidence of inflammation, fibrosis, and loss of organ structures in the kidney and spleen. This indicates macroplastics can induce damage directly at the site of exposure, while microplastics can be mobilised throughout the body causing widespread pathology. Collectively, these results indicate the scope and severity of the health impacts of plastic pollution may be grossly underestimated.
AB - Plastic pollution in the world's oceans is ubiquitous and increasing. The environment is inundated with microplastics (< 1 mm), and the health effects of these less conspicuous pollutants is poorly known. In addition, there is now evidence that macroplastics can release microplastics in the form of shedding or digestive fragmentation, meaning there is potential for macroplastic exposure to induce direct and indirect pathology through microplastics. Therefore, there is an urgent need for data from wild populations on the relationship between macro- and microplastic exposure and the potential compounding pathological effects of these forms of plastics. We investigated the presence and impact of microplastics in multiple tissues from Flesh-footed Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes, a species that ingests considerable quantities of plastics, and used histopathological techniques to measure physiological responses and inflammation from the plastics. All organs examined (kidney, spleen, proventriculus) had embedded microplastic particles and this correlated with macroplastic exposure. Considerable tissue damage was recorded, including a significant reduction in tubular glands and rugae in the proventriculus, and evidence of inflammation, fibrosis, and loss of organ structures in the kidney and spleen. This indicates macroplastics can induce damage directly at the site of exposure, while microplastics can be mobilised throughout the body causing widespread pathology. Collectively, these results indicate the scope and severity of the health impacts of plastic pollution may be grossly underestimated.
KW - Ardenna carneipes
KW - Fibrosis
KW - Flesh-footed Shearwater
KW - Nanoplastic
KW - Plastic pollution
KW - Tissue pathology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140760542&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85140760542&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130117
DO - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130117
M3 - Article
C2 - 36303350
AN - SCOPUS:85140760542
SN - 0304-3894
VL - 442
JO - Journal of Hazardous Materials
JF - Journal of Hazardous Materials
M1 - 130117
ER -