MARINE DEBRIS - Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 51

was high in Norway lobsters; 83% of the animals sampled con-
tained plastics (mostly filaments) in their stomachs. Tightly
tangled balls of plastic strands were found in 62% of the ani-
mals. Some of the microfilaments in the gut contents could be
traced back to fishing waste.
To add insult to injury, chemical pollutants like DDT and
PCBs (described in Chapter 6) collect on the surface of plastic
debris, thus making the plastic a source of toxicity, transferring
chemicals into the food web where they can then accumulate
in birds and other marine animals that eat the plastic. Plastic
debris was collected in the North Pacific Gyre and analyzed
for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesti-
cides like DDT, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
(see Chapter 6). Over 50% of the plastic contained PCBs, 40%
contained pesticides, and nearly 80% contained PAHs. The
concentrations of pollutants found ranged from a few parts
per billion (ppb) to thousands of ppb. The types of PCBs and
PAHs found were similar to those found in marine sediments.
In addition to these chemicals on their surface, marine plastics
contain additives such as plasticizers, antioxidants, antistatic
agents, and flame retardants. Some additives (e.g., nonylphe-
nol, bisphenol A) cause endocrine disruption—they interfere
with body processes mediated by hormones. This can result
in impaired nervous system development, abnormalities in
behavior, malformations, and disruption of normal sexual
development and reproduction.
Consuming plastic is an entry point for contaminants that
were either initially a constituent of the plastic, or gathered
from the water, into the marine food web. Plastic debris can
become more toxic as bigger pieces break up into smaller
pieces, increasing the surface area available for gathering
pollutants. The smaller the debris, the greater the likelihood
it can be ingested and introduce contaminants into the small
organisms low on the food web. Mark Browne and colleagues
found that toxic concentrations of pollutants and additives
enter the tissues of animals after eating microplastic. They