And the oceans are full of the stuff, which does not bode well for coral reefs.
When plastic waste drifts around the oceans, it gets snagged on coral reefs, where protrusions, fronds, and sharp edges offer an ideal place to get stuck. The damage, however, is more than aesthetic; getting entangled with plastic is a death sentence for coral.
A study from earlier this year was the first to examine the role plastic plays in promoting disease in a marine environment. Researchers found that the chance of coral becoming diseased goes from 4 percent to 89 percent when plastic is present. Why? Plastic smothers the coral, blocking oxygen and light that are crucial to its survival. Sharp edges can cut the coral, and the plastic often carries bacteria. Lead study author Joleah Lamb of Cornell University described it:
"Corals are animals just like me and you – they become wounded and then infected. Plastics are ideal vessels for microorganisms, with pits and pores, so it's like cutting yourself with a really dirty knife."
Once a single coral organism is infected, the disease spreads throughout the colony. Lamb likened it to "getting gangrene on your toe and watching it eat your body. There’s not much you can do to stop it."
© Dr. Kathryn Berry -- Plastic pollution plagues seaside village in Myanmar
