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What did researchers find after feeding Tokyo Bay plastic pellets to streaked shearwaters?
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plastic pollution
A volunteer collecting plastic nurdles (pellets less than 0.2 inch [0.5 centimeter] in diameter) at Barreiras Beach, Corrubedo, Spain.
Researchers found that after feeding streaked shearwaters plastic pellets collected from Tokyo Bay for one week, the levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in the birds' preen gland oil increased significantly.1
This study highlights the danger of plastic pollution, as plastics can concentrate environmental pollutants and deliver them to animals that ingest them.1