Microplastic pollution is everywhere, even in the exhaled breath of dolphins – new research
8 million metric tons of plastic wind up in Earth’s oceans annually, where marine animals are exposed to this pollution and its potential health effects.
Leslie Hart, Associate Professor of Public Health, College of Charleston, Miranda Dziobak, Instructor in Public Health, College of Charleston
Our study found the microplastic particles exhaled by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are similar in chemical composition to those identified in human lungs. Whether dolphins are exposed to more of these pollutants than people are is not yet known.
In fact, bubble bursts caused by wave energy can release 100,000 metric tons of microplastics into the atmosphere each year. Since dolphins and other marine mammals breathe at the water’s surface, they may be especially vulnerable to exposure.
Where there are more people, there is usually more plastic. But for the tiny plastic particles floating in the air, this connection isn’t always true. Airborne microplastics are not limited to heavily populated areas; they pollute undeveloped regions, too.
Our research found microplastics in the breath of dolphins living in both urban and rural estuaries, but we don’t yet know whether there are major differences in amounts or types of plastic particles between the two habitats.
During these brief permitted health assessments, we held a petri dish or a customized spirometer – a device that measures lung function – above the dolphin’s blowhole to collect samples of the animals’ exhaled breath. Using a microscope in our colleague’s lab, we checked for tiny particles that looked like plastic, such as pieces with smooth surfaces, bright colors or a fibrous shape.
Since plastic melts when heated, we used a soldering needle to test whether these suspected pieces were plastic. To confirm they were indeed plastic, our colleague used a specialized method called Raman spectroscopy, which uses a laser to create a structural fingerprint that can be matched to a specific chemical.
Our study highlights how extensive plastic pollution is – and how other living things, including dolphins, are exposed. While the impacts of plastic inhalation on dolphins’ lungs are not yet known, people can help address the microplastic pollution problem by reducing plastic use and working to prevent more plastic from polluting the oceans.
Leslie Hart receives funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, Sea Grant, and the National Science Foundation. Research reported in this article was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R15ES034169 and the College of Charleston's School of Health Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.Leslie Hart is an epidemiological consultant for the National Marine Mammal Foundation; however, this study was not conducted as a consultant.Bottlenose dolphin health assessments were conducted under Scientific Research Permit #26622 and #24359, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Research studies were reviewed and approved by Mote Marine Laboratory and NMFS Atlantic Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC).
Miranda Dziobak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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