A study by scientists at the Water Research Institute of Cardiff University in the UK has found a way to predict the size of the largest plastic block that can be consumed by different organisms in order to alert different types of waste to the risk of global species, foreign media new atlas reported recently, citing Nature news.
It is reported that the researchers examined more than 2000 kinds of substances in the digestive system of mammals, reptiles, fish and invertebrates, ranging from 9 mm (0.35 in) long fish to 10 m (33 ft) long humpback whales. The plastic samples studied include various materials, such as the hose once taken by sperm whales to the plastic bag inside green turtles. Finally, they found that the size of animals is similar to that of The relationship between the largest plastic waste they may consume. According to their calculations, their ratio is about 20:1, that is, the largest fragment that animals can eat is about 5% of their body size.
Professor Isabel durans, who is in charge of the project, said, "we all see the tragic experience of animals affected by plastic, but we have never seen a more specific interaction between animals and plastic, and this study provides us with a new method."
