They're In Our Blood, They're Atop Everest, And Now Scientists Discover That Dolphins Exhale Microplastics

Microplastics have been found in dolphin breath for the first time, according to a study that suggests the marine mammals are inhaling the potentially harmful contaminants when they come up for air. The US research team, whose preliminary findings are published in the journal, Plos One, are concerned about the potential impact of inhaled plastics on the animals’ lungs.

The scientists collected samples of exhaled air from bottlenose dolphins in two sites: Sarasota Bay, Florida, an urban estuary, and Barataria Bay, Louisiana, a rural site. They found microplastics in the exhaled breath from all 11 bottlenose dolphins sampled, leading them to believe the inhaled plastics were airborne. Studies have found microplastics everywhere, even in pristine locations such as Mount Everest, regardless of urbanisation or development. Transport of such particles by the wind is a key factor in their ubiquitous contamination.

Many of the microplastics found in the dolphin breath samples were polyester, a common polymer used to make clothes, which shed huge amounts of particles when washed, especially in hot cycles. Leslie Hart, co-author and public health expert at the College of Charleston university in South Carolina, said: “Microplastic inhalation in humans is a budding field, but there have been few studies in wildlife.

“The fact that dolphins have a much larger lung capacity and are taking deep breaths may mean they are exposed to higher doses of microplastics than humans.”

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/16/microplastics-found-in-dolphin-breath-for-first-time-study