Earthworms like to eat some plastics, but side effects of their digestion are unclear EnvSciTech
and terephthalic acid, sour-smelling monomers that make up PLA and PET, respectively, were spiked into soil, the worms were also attracted, suggesting that the animals were drawn in by the odors as potential cues for food. In another experiment, the researchers put earthworms in soil mixed with either microscopic PLA or PET particles. Analysis of the creatures' excretions showed that their digestive systems broke down PLA into much smaller fragments than was observed with PET plastics.
. They add that more studies are needed to determine how the slow excretion of PLA fragments affects the health of these animals and whether the worms are an option to remove degradable plastics from the environment.