Show threadrexiMar 3, 2025

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-high-microplastic-bird-lungs-widespread.html

(canary in the coal mine? magpie in a #microplasticfog, maybe)

study found high concentrations of #microplastics in bird lungs, with an average of 221 particles per species and 416 particles per gram of lung tissue. The most common types identified were #chlorinatedpolyethylene, used for insulating pipes and wires, and #butadiene rubber, a synthetic material in tires.

High microplastic levels in bird lungs suggest widespread air pollution impact

Microscopic plastic pollutants drifting through the air are lodging in the lungs of birds, a new University of Texas at Arlington study finds. Researchers worldwide are increasingly alarmed by how pervasive these harmful particles are in the air humans breathe and the food they eat.

Phys.org