Exploring the potential of large vertebrates as early warning sentinels of threats to marine ecosystems, human health and wellbeing

摘要

The use of plastics by human societies continues to increase exponentially. This reflects, no doubt, the many benefits which plastics of different kinds provide in the manufacture of an array of products, ranging from electrical equipment and vehicle components to food containers and medical devices. However, as with all technologies, there have also been disadvantages to their introduction. The virtue of being robust and non-degradable turns into a flaw when plastics become waste products. When discarded in the environment they persist, often for many years. In the seas and oceans plastics have become widely dispersed across the World, only to cluster in some locations where currents deposit them in large amounts. Gradual breakdown results in larger pieces of plastic waste becoming ever smaller, until invisible. All sizes, from plastic crates, bottles and bags down to the smallest nanoscale fragments, have the potential to damage marine life. Incorporation of plastics into the marine food chain generates another potential threat when seafood, containing plastics, is ultimately consumed by humans.