Microplastics (small plastic fragments) and microbeads (in personal care products), are contaminating fish in the north west Atlantic, 600m down in the ocean, according to an Irish study in Frontiers in Marine Science.
NUIG scientists took 233 dead deep-sea fish from North Atlantic mid water trawls and discovered that 73% had ingested plastic. “Some of these toxins on the microplastics can be transferred to animals that eat them, with potential harmful effects,” said lead author Alina Wieczorek.
Co-author, Dr Tom Doyle said daily activities like washing synthetic clothes in washing machines “results in billions of microplastics entering our oceans through our waste water stream” that can end up in deep sea fishes.