Animal Digestible Food Packaging Initiative

The abstract of an April 26, 2022 Science Reports article https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10485-5 by researchers with UC Davis, University of Toronto and University of Nebraska reports that “… Microplastic contamination in marine ecosystems has … raised concerns for both human and wildlife health. Our study addresses an unexplored area of research targeting the interaction between plastic and pathogen pollution of coastal waters. We investigated the association of the zoonotic protozoan parasites Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Giardia enterica with polyethylene microbeads and polyester microfibers … We show that pathogens are capable of associating with microplastics in contaminated seawater, with more parasites adhering to microfiber surfaces as compared with microbeads. Given the global presence of microplastics in fish and shellfish, this study demonstrates a novel pathway by which anthropogenic pollutants may be mediating pathogen transmission in the marine environment, with important ramifications for wildlife and human health …” #MicroPlastics #PlasticWaste #SingleUsePlastic @bodegamarinelab @ucdavisvetmed