1.5 million animals on the ocean die from plastic junk every year

The study, published by the French Institute for Development Research (IRD), shows that about 1.5 million marine animals die from poisoning each year by eating plastic waste and warning the danger from the islands. garbage "formed in the oceans or also known as the" Seventh Continent ".

Due to the dominant currents, plastic waste with 80% of the total weight is a hard-to-decompose polyethylene compound, stuck in ocean swirls without the opportunity to decompose under the action of bacteria and fungi from It forms large garbage islands on the ocean.

Garbage in the Arabian Sea, off the port city of Karachi, southern Pakistan.(Source: THX / VNA)

And when decomposing, small plastic waste particles can sink to depths of 1.5 km below sea level and become a food for about 30% of fish. Not only marine animals but also seabirds often mistake plastic trash as food.

In 2011, the whale and dolphin conservation organization warned that plastic trash is the leading cause of death for these animals.

So far, the Pacific Ocean is home to the largest trash island.This 'island' is located between the California coast and Hawaiian island, with an area of ​​3.5 million square kilometers (7 times the size of France). Every year, the area of ​​this garbage island increases to 80,000 km ² .

In July, a team of experts from the University of Cadiz (Spain) also published a study showing that plastic waste currently exists over 88% of the world's ocean surface, with a total amount of about 10,000-40,000 tons.

According to the research team, "microscopic plastic particles" can last for hundreds of years, affecting the food chain of marine organisms, causing death to many marine species when swallowed. like turtles, dolphins and whales or negatively impact coral reef habitats.