Blue whales along California's coast are consuming about 10 million pieces of microplastic – up to 96 pounds – every day, 'or maybe even more,' according to researchers.
found that filter-feeding baleen whales off of the California coast are ingesting millions of pieces of microplastics every day – a consumption that could be toxic.
In a study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, researchers said that the highest concentrations of those microplastics are between 50 and 250 meters below the ocean surface – the same depths where baleen whales predominantly feed.
Savoca said that researchers believe"98-99% of the all the plastic they're ingesting" is coming from their prey rather than directly from the water itself., the largest animals on the planet, which can weigh up to 330,000 pounds, grow up to 110 feet long and live to be around 90 years old.
"Whales either eat an absolute massive amount of food, or none at all, and they can switch back and forth pretty impressively," he said. Most of the microplastic comes from semi-synthetic fibers from clothes, furniture, rope and other materials. Plastics are made with chemical additives, Savoca said, and while many of those additives can diffuse into the ocean water, many others remain on the plastic pieces that are ingested. Many plastic pieces also become a"cocktail of contaminants" as other contaminants in the water attack themselves to the pieces, he said.
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