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Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Bird Embryo Development by Hatching without Eggshell
Published on: August 14, 2021
Accumulation of plastic-derived chemicals in tissues of seabirds ingesting marine plastics
Kosuke Tanaka1, Hideshige Takada, Rei Yamashita
1Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
Abstract:
We analyzed polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in abdominal adipose of oceanic seabirds (short-tailed shearwaters, Puffinus tenuirostris) collected in northern North Pacific Ocean. In 3 of 12 birds, we detected higher-brominated congeners (viz., BDE209 and BDE183), which are not present in the natural prey (pelagic fish) of the birds. The same compounds were present in plastic found in the stomachs of the 3 birds. These data suggested the transfer of plastic-derived chemicals from ingested plastics to the tissues of marine-based organisms.
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