In fact, bubble collapse caused by wave energy can release 100,000 tons of microplastics into the atmosphere each year. Dolphins and other marine mammals may be particularly vulnerable to exposure because they breathe at the surface of the water.
Where there are more people, there is usually more plastic. However, this relationship is not necessarily true for small airborne plastic particles. Airborne microplastics are not limited to populated areas. It also pollutes undeveloped areas.
Our study detected microplastics in the breath of dolphins living in both urban and rural estuaries, but we do not know whether there are significant differences in the amount or type of plastic particles between the two habitats. I don’t know.
How we work
Breath samples for our study were collected from wild bottlenose dolphins during catch-and-release health assessments conducted in partnership with Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, the Sarasotaile Dolphin Research Program, the National Marine Mammal Foundation, and the Oceanographic Foundation. It was done.
During these permitted short health checks, researchers held a Petri dish or a customized spirometer (a device that measures lung function) over the dolphin’s blowhole to collect samples of the dolphin’s exhaled breath. Using a microscope in my colleague’s lab, I checked for small particles that looked like plastic, such as debris with smooth surfaces, bright colors, and fibrous shapes.
Plastic melts when heated, so I used a soldering needle to test whether these suspect parts were plastic. To confirm that it was indeed plastic, our colleagues used a special method called Raman spectroscopy, which uses lasers to create structural fingerprints that can be matched to specific chemicals.
Our research reveals how widespread plastic pollution is and how other creatures, including dolphins, are exposed. Although we don’t yet know how inhaling plastics affects dolphins’ lungs, we can help tackle the problem of microplastic pollution by reducing our plastic use and trying to prevent more plastic from polluting our oceans. You can contribute.
(Tag to translate) Conversation
