researchers discover “plasticosis”, a disease caused by the ingestion of waste by seabirds

It’s a discovery they would have done without. Researchers have identified cases of digestive fibrosis in seabirds caused by the ingestion of plastic, according to a study published on Sunday February 26 by the journal Journal of Hazardous Materials. “The extent and severity of fibrosis seen in this study suggests a novel plastic-induced fibrosis disease, which we call ‘plasticosis'”write the authors, attached to research centers in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Unlike diseases caused by viruses or bacteria, exposed “plasticosis” is caused by small pieces of plastic that inflame the digestive tract. Over time, the stomach becomes lined with scars, which do not resorb, and deforms, with consequences for the growth of the animal, its digestive capacities and its survival, details the Museum of natural history of London (in English)involved in the study, conducted in Australia.

“From the outside, these birds may look fine, but they don’t do well on the inside”, warns one of the co-authors, Alex Bond, pointing out that this is the first time that the stomach tissues of seabirds have been the subject of such a study. For the time being, only one species, in this case young pale-footed shearwaters, reputed to be very exposed to plastic, has been the subject of this research.