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Concept
Plasticosis
Summary
Plasticosis is a form of fibrotic scarring that is caused by small pieces of plastic which inflame the digestive tract.
A 2023 study by Hayley Charlton-Howard, Alex Bond, Jack Rivers-Auty, and Jennifer Lavers, found that plastic pollution caused disease in seabirds. The researchers coined the term plasticosis to indicate the first recorded instance of plastic-induced fibrosis in wild animals. “Further, the ingestion of plastic has far-reaching and severe consequences, many of which we are only just beginning to fully document and understand.” The disease is caused only by plastic according to the study.
Plasticosis is a pathological wound healing in which connective tissue replaces normal parenchymal tissue to the extent that it goes unchecked, leading to considerable tissue remodelling and the formation of permanent scar tissue.
Repeated injuries, chronic inflammation and repair are susceptible to fibrosis where an accidental excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components, such as the collagen is produced by fibroblasts, leading to the formation of a permanent fibrotic scar.
Plasticosis was first identified in Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes) on Lord Howe Island, Australia. Previous research on this population found that ~90% of necropsied chicks contained ingested plastics, which are thought to negatively affect chick growth and survival. Microscopic pieces of plastic have also been found embedded in tissues of this species, causing inflammation and tissue damage, as well as loss of tubular glands and rugae.
Plastic-induced fibrosis has been previously demonstrated in recent laboratory studies, in organs such as the heart, liver, ovaries, and uterus.
Plasticosis is found to cause increased collagen prevalence in the tubular glands and submucosa, and widespread scar tissue formation across the whole organ, leading to extensive reorganisation and tissue damage, and potentially a loss of tissue function.
Official source
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Related concepts (4)
Plastic pollution
Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. Plastics are inexpensive and durable, making them very adaptable for different uses; as a result, manufacturers choose to use plastic over other materials.
Marine plastic pollution
Marine plastic pollution (or plastic pollution in the ocean) is a type of marine pollution by plastics, ranging in size from large original material such as bottles and bags, down to microplastics formed from the fragmentation of plastic material. Marine debris is mainly discarded human rubbish which floats on, or is suspended in the ocean. Eighty percent of marine debris is plastic. Microplastics and nanoplastics result from the breakdown or photodegradation of plastic waste in surface waters, rivers or oceans.
Microplastics
Microplastics are fragments of any type of plastic less than in length, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Chemicals Agency. They cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, and industrial processes. The term macroplastics is used to differentiate microplastics from larger plastic waste, such as plastic bottles or bigger pieces of plastics. Two classifications of microplastics are currently recognized.