Germana Carillo A recent study conducted by scientists at the College of Charleston in South Carolina collected exhaled air samples from five bottlenose dolphins and what came out of the inhaled microplastic data is shocking
@Canva
New research published in PLOS ONE by a team from the College of Charleston in South Carolina uncovers an alarming new concern: that wild bottlenose dolphins are likely to inhale microplastic particles via the air-an important potential pathway of exposure to such pollutants.
“We know microplastics float in the air, so we suspected we might find them in breath samples,” says biochemist Miranda K. Dziobak, who led the study. “Now, we’re troubled by these results because dolphins have large lung capacities and take deep breaths, so we don’t yet understand what microplastics could mean for their lungs.”
The study
They collected breath samples from five bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, and six in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. The evidence was unequivocal: microplastics appeared in every single one of the 11 dolphin samples-a pretty surefire indication that these plastics are indeed transported by air currents and then ingested inhaled by marine life.
More specifically, these exhaled microplastics also included fibers and fragments of various plastic polymers, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyester, polyamide, polybutylene terephthalate, and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).
These findings are preliminary, say the researchers, and a number of further studies will be needed to better quantify dolphin exposure levels. Initial results strongly indicate that inhalation may be yet another important route of microplastic exposure for dolphins aside from ingestion.
