Researchers investigating the exposure of small mammals to plastics in England and Wales have found traces in the faeces of more than half of the species examined.
In a paper published in Science of the Total Environment, researchers from the University of Sussex, the Mammal Society and the University of Exeter state that the densities of plastic excreted were comparable with those reported in human studies.
Andy Bool, CEO of the Mammal Society says: “The Mammal Society is proud to have helped and part-funded this research as it represents an important step into the study of the impact of plastics on terrestrial mammals. With a number of small mammal species experiencing worrying declines in numbers it highlights one of the challenges they face. We can all make a difference to help protect them from this threat by reducing the amount of single use plastic we use and reusing and recycling what we do use properly.”
Fiona Mathews, Professor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex, said: ‘Much is known about the impact of plastic on aquatic ecosystems, but very little is known about the same with terrestrial systems. By analysing the droppings of some of our most widespread small mammals, we’ve been able to provide a glimpse of the potential impact plastic is having on our wildlife – and the most commonly found plastics leaking into our environment.’
More on:
Posted On: 01/07/2022