Effects of plastic pollution on Arctic animals
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Issue Date
2025-05-12
Authors
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
Subject
Abstract
Plastic pollution is omnipresent in the Arctic, with a range of negative impacts on animals and ecosystems. Impacts of plastic pollution include entanglement of animals in nets and lines as well as the risk of starvation, internal physical damage, and physiological impacts from ingesting microplastics or larger plastic items. Potentially harmful plastic additive chemicals can leach out into the environment and can affect animals that have swallowed plastic particles.