Shame On Us! 100% Of All Sea Turtles Have Plastic In Them, Because We Just Can't Stop Polluting

Scientists recently studied seven species of turtles across the world's oceans, in an effort to determine how much pollution has been affecting them.

It turns out... a lot. Like a lot a lot. Depressingly, the team found microplastics in every single one of the turtles they analysed.

According to estimates, there are about 5 trillion pieces of plastic accumulated in our oceans, all thanks to our own thoughtless dumping. All of these break down into tiny microscopic particles called microplastics. These get into the digestive systems of fish and water mammals, and consequently us as well. And at just about 5 millimetres at their largest, they're pretty much impossible to see with the naked eye.

Also Read: Here Is Proof That We Are Eating & Drinking Plastic, After Scientists Find Plastic In Our Poop

Scientists are still unsure just how exactly these microplastics affect water-dwelling creatures, but they're pretty sure it's not good. And these latest results show it's a problem we just can't ignore.

The study, conducted by scientists from the University of Exeter in the UK, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and Greenpeace Research Laboratories, looked at 102 turtles of various different species. During their research, they found evidence of microplastics in the guts of all every single one of these turtles. In total, they found over 800 "synthetic particles" in their digestive systems, an average of eight per turtle. And that's only from testing a small portion of each turtle's gut, so the real number could be much higher.

"While this study has been successful, it does not feel like a success to have found microplastic in the gut of every single turtle we have investigated," said d Dr Penelope Lindeque of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.