"These Scientists Tested Dolphin Breath. They Found Plastic."

"Researchers studying bottlenose dolphins found polyester and other plastics in every animal they tested."

"Scientists have found plastic pollution almost everywhere they have looked. In clouds. On Mount Everest. In Arctic snow.

Now, for the first time, tiny plastic particles have been detected in the breath of dolphins.

The findings, published on Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, point to the ubiquitousness of plastic waste in the environment. Each year, nearly 2 million tons of plastic end up in world’s oceans.

Plastic also floats in the air, and the new study suggests that inhalation may be a significant way dolphins and other marine mammals are exposed to tiny plastic particles, called microplastics. Those particles, which are formed when plastic breaks down, have been linked to inflammation and cell damage, and can contain harmful chemicals."

Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times October 16, 2024.