Not Good: These Fish Have Been Eating Toxic Plastic Trash in the Ocean

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/06/12/toxicity-sea-plastics-may-be-making-its-way-food-chain?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-06-13

June 12, 2014 By Michael Sugerman

Michael Sugerman is a student at the University of Michigan, where he reports on the student government beat for the school newspaper, The Michigan Daily. A Los Angeles native, Michael is interested in the relationship between government, media, and the implementation of policy and reform.


Scientists are investigating health risks related to eating the swimmers.

Scientists have discovered that roughly 60 percent of opah—one of Hawaii's most popular commercial fish—have been eating plastic trash in the ocean. That may be jeopardizing the species and could have negative health repercussions for consumers.

The plastic alone isn't a problem, but these tidbits of refuse absorb a "cocktail of contaminants" in the sea, from organic chemicals such as pesticides to metals including lead and copper, according to research from the University of California, Davis.

So the question remains: If 60 percent of opah have potentially toxic plastics in their bellies, does eating them put people at risk?

FULL story and VIDEO at link.