Plasticosis is a Plastics Disease

Plastic pollution is one of the most fundamental issues threatening the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems worldwide. Microplastics are found everywhere, from mountaintops to the deepest oceans and even inside our bodies. Unfortunately, addressing this crisis is beyond the ability of any single country to solve.  

In 2023, plasticosis, a new disease caused solely by plastics, was discovered in seabirds. The birds identified as having the disease have scarred digestive tracts from ingesting plastic waste. ”When birds ingest small pieces of plastic, they found, it inflames the digestive tract. Over time, the persistent inflammation causes tissues to become scarred and disfigured, affecting digestion, growth and survival.” The initial study and naming of the disease was by a research team that included Hayley Charlton-Howard, Alex Bond, Jack Rivers-Auty, and Jennifer Lavers.

The ingestion of plastic has far-reaching and severe consequences, many of which we are only just beginning to fully document and understand.

According to Matthew Savoca, a conservation biologist, plasticosis may be a sign that a new age of disease is upon us because of human overuse of plastics and other long-lasting contaminants, and their leakage into the environment. In 2022, the United Nations member nations voted to negotiate a global treaty to end plastic pollution, with a target completion date of 2024. This would be the first binding agreement to address plastic pollution in a concerted and coordinated manner. The identification of plasticosis in shearwaters shows that there is no time to waste." Plasticosis.org