Microplastics Found in Wild Dolphin Breath
Plastic pollution is the big problem for our planet. It’s harmful for animals and plants in oceans, rivers, and other places. Scientists have found minor pieces of plastic, called microplastics, in the dolphins bodies. This is a new and worrying discovery.
The team studied wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in an urban estuary in Sarasota Bay, Florida, and rural Barataria Bay, Louisiana, to collect breath samples from individuals and was able to learn more about the presence of microplastics, both within these areas and within the dolphins themselves.
To collect breath samples, the team collected exhaled air from 11 inflatable sharks: five from Sarasota and six from Barataria Bay. They were collected during prey health checks and breath samples were taken through the Petri dish used to hold the dolphin.
According to A.J., “We’re concerned that because of what we’re seeing, dolphins have a lot of lung capacity and they breathe really hard, so we’re concerned about what this plastic could be doing to their lungs.”
According to the study, the most prevalent microplastic was polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which was found in 53% of the samples. Polyester was the second most common microplastic, appearing in 24% of samples. Polyamide was detected in 12% of the samples and both polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in 6% of the samples.
Microplastic inhalation in humans is a budding field, but there has been little research,” said study co-author Leslie Hart and associate professor of public health at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, according to The in the woods.” The guardian. “The fact that dolphins have far greater lung capacity and deeper breathing would suggest that they are exposed to more microplastics than humans.
A new study earlier this year revealed that plastic particles may accumulate in food webs around Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park, raising concerns about how accumulated plastic particles could affect local wildlife, including Galapagos, including endangered penguins.
The study found that microplastics affect even water quality, and a 2023 study identified the top microplastic contaminants in aquatic life found throughout estuaries flowing into the Atlantic Ocean as Mediterranean Sea Shells and oysters were mainly affected by microplastic pollution.
The team behind microplastics in the dolphin breath study is now concerned about how the accumulation of inhaled microplastics could affect the animals’ lungs, as lab studies on mice have previously shown inflammation and oxidative stress from microplastic exposure is associated with lung fibrosis, which becomes the working lungs It is more difficult for dolphins to dive underwater.
“Dolphins rely on lung pressure and collapse when diving, an ability that fibroids can reduce. In addition, the depth and collapse of the follicle determine gas exchange, which fibroids will also limit,” the authors wrote in the study.
“More research is needed to determine whether exposure to microplastics through air inhalation may increase the health risks associated with microplastics,” the researchers wrote.”