Plasticosis: UK scientists discuss new seabird disease caused by plastic pollution

16 Mar 2023 --- Scientists at the UK’s Natural History Museum have discovered a new disease in seabirds, which they believe is caused solely by plastic ingestion. Identified in a recent study, the researchers have named the condition plasticosis, which is characterized by persistent inflammation in the digestive tract. 

Folllowing the release of the study earlier this month, co-author Hayley Charlton-Howard tells PackagingInsights that the severity of the findings came as a surprise. The team looked at 30 freshly deceased Flesh-footed Shearwater fledglings collected in Australia. 

“We were surprised by how severe and widespread the fibrosis was – these fledglings were all 80-90 days old, and to see the extent of the scar tissue that could develop in that short amount of time was really surprising and quite sobering,” she says. 

Some of the fragments found in the digestive tracts of the seabirds are still identifiable as segments of plastic items such as bottle caps, pen lids and balloon clips.

“Hopefully, the severe implications of this study will encourage businesses and manufacturers to re-examine whether some packaging or plastic components are capable of being recycled or replaced with alternative recyclable materials, or whether some plastic packaging can be avoided altogether, to minimize the amount of waste entering our environments and reduce harm to marine life,” continues Charlton-Howard. 

Without policy intervention the long-term health impacts of plastic pollution could be immense, say the researchers.Addressing plastic pollution 
Of the seabirds examined in the study, most were found to have scar tissue formation. 

“Scar tissue formation was clear and evident in nearly all samples that were assessed, raising greater concerns for the health of the overall shearwater population,” reads the study. 

Charlton-Howard says the findings show an urgent need to address the plastic pollution crisis “through sensible, robust, and long-term policy, supported by science and with input from local communities, for the benefit of both the environment and the global community.” 

“There have been many recommendations made over several decades by numerous scientific, non-government, and local environmental reports – the knowledge, drive, and ideas exist – they just need to be considered and implemented by policymakers,” she says.

A recent study found that without policy intervention, plastic emissions may triple by 2060. 

Charlton-Hloward also notes that recent laboratory studies have found that plastic can cause a range of negative health impacts, from altering blood chemistry to reducing mobility and fecundity to causing inflammation and tissue damage and other symptoms. 

Further research 
The study authors say this is a novel field of study, so it is likely that scientists will continue to find ways in which plastic ingestion can affect health. 

“Unfortunately, it also highlights how many of the long-term consequences of plastic may be unknown and why it is crucial to prevent more plastic from entering circulation and the environment,” says Charlton-Howard. 

“Plastic has been found in nearly every environment on Earth, and it is likely exposure of most, if not all, living things to plastic is inevitable.” 

“We urgently need further research to assess the health impacts of plastic ingestion, not only to better understand how we can reduce the impacts of the plastic pollution crisis on wildlife, but also to better understand how we, as humans, may also be affected,” she concludes. 

By Louis Gore-Langton