Paint could be one of the most common types of microplastics in the ocean and poses an “overlooked” threat to sealife, scientists have warned.
Toxic fragments are likely to be harming large numbers of marine wildlife in delicate ecosystems, according to a study.
Researchers who carried out surveys across the North Atlantic estimated that each cubic metre of seawater contained an average of 0.01 paint flakes.
They found the material was second only in abundance to microplastic fibres, which have an estimated concentration of about 0.16 particles in a cubic metre.
Chemical analysis of some of the paint revealed high quantities of copper, lead and iron, which could pose an extra threat to both the ocean and many species living in it that ingest the particles.
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