US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Birds living on riverbanks swallow hundreds of plastic particles daily, according to the BBC Broadcasting Corporation. The object of observation of the researchers were dippers from South Wales. The way of life of these birds is closely connected with water, and they get food both in the rivers and near them.
Scientists from Cardiff and Exeter universities in the UK found that a large amount of plastic gets into the food of small birds. Chicks also receive food containing this material from their parents.
It was possible to find out thanks to the analysis of bird droppings. In almost half of the 166 samples examined, plastic was found.
It is noteworthy that the closer one or another bird lived to the city, the more of this material was in the litter.
According to scientists, approximately 200 pieces of microplastic per day swallow mules on average. As a rule, all this garbage has a construction or textile origin. First, it enters the water, then – into the body of insects or fish, and then – into the stomach of birds.
The effect of plastic on the body is not fully understood. Much depends on its type: some compounds can be very toxic. According to studies by the Zoological Institute of London, toxins from microplastics ingested by marine mammals, in particular polychlorinated biphenyls, accumulate in the bodies of guinea pigs, dolphins, whales, and later have a detrimental effect on the quality of milk of nursing females. The nervous system and brain of the cubs are irreparably damaged.
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