Study quantifies lethal plastic intake for sea life

A peer-reviewed study in PNAS finds that seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can die after ingesting surprisingly small amounts of macroplastic, based on autopsy data from more than 10,000 animals across 53 studies worldwide. Researchers, including Ocean Conservancy’s Britta Baechler, report species-specific lethal thresholds—such as six pea-sized rubber pieces raising seabird death risk to ~90%—and warn the results have policy implications for plastic production and waste control.