Microplastics contaminate deep‑sea fauna and human bodies, raising health alarms

Doctor Marcos Mazzuka, a toxicology expert, warned that plastic bottles are especially dangerous because the microplastics they release are hard to remove. He noted that studies estimate up to eight grams of plastic may be present in an adult human body, with contaminants entering through water, metal pipes and packaging.

A new study by Korean researchers found microplastics in 92 % of animals living on the ocean floor, including snails and mussels near hydrothermal vents in the Central Indian Ridge and the northern Fiji basin. On average, each organism contained 3.4 microplastic particles, over half of which were polystyrene. Contamination levels were higher in the Indian Ocean than in the Pacific. The findings highlight the spread of plastic pollution to previously isolated deep‑sea ecosystems and call for monitoring and conservation policies.