Seabird eggs found to have plastic poison
Northern fulmars A CHEMICAL used in plastic that can affect the gender of birds has been discovered in their eggs.
The additive was in the eggs of northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes on Prince Leopold Island in Canada.
Scientists blame it on plastic being eaten by the adult birds by mistake, meaning waste at sea is now poisoning wildlife from birth.
The phthalate ester, used to make plastics flexible, disrupts hormones and sexual development.
Jennifer Provencher, of the Canadian Wildlife Service, told the Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC of the discovery.
She said: “It’s tragic. They are maternally transferring the contaminants.”