Every day, around 8 million pieces of plastic spew into the world’s oceans

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Scientists have discovered a new disease in seabirds that eat plastic.

 

Every day, around 8 million pieces of plastic spew into the world’s oceans. Much of it ends up in the guts of seabirds.

These birds have scarred digestive tracts - a phenomenon that scientists at the Natural History Museum in London have named ‘plasticosis’.

 

This plastic induced illness has major knock-on impacts on growth and survival, warns Dr Alex Bond, co-author of a study into the pollution.

“While these birds can look healthy on the outside, they’re not doing well on the inside,” he says.

“This study is the first time that stomach tissue has been investigated in this way and shows that plastic consumption can cause serious damage to these birds’ digestive system.”