Sharjah24 - Reuters: Marine biologists in Brazil are finding a 'frightening' amount of microplastics inside marine wildlife in Brazil.
Even sea urchins extracted from what was thought to be a clean area surrounding Cagarras islands are show traces of plastic on the inside.
Raquel Neves, a marine biologist, Rio de Janeiro Federal University was shocked by what she saw.
“I was frightened. I knew I would find some (microplastic) but I never thought it would be that much. That sample I showed you from the sea urchin is from an area that we thought to be clean. That is our cleanest spot.”
Marine biologists here made the discovery during their diving research trips on the Brazilian coast.
Ricardo Gomes is at the Urban Sea Institute.
“We have to go dive into the ocean and find microplastics inside animals so that people know our impact is now on a microscopic level in the ocean. Sometimes that microscopic impact has more harmful consequences than macroplastics that we can see and even pick up.”
Single-use plastic consumption increased during lockdowns, according to NGO the International Solid Waste Association.
A recent study predicted the amount of plastic going into the sea every year will rise from 11 million tonnes to 29 million tonnes.
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