MICROPLASTICS IN AVIAN RESPIRATORY SYSTEMS WITH IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH RISKS.

Concerns regarding microplastic pollution have risen to become a major environmental issue with increasing cases of microplastic invading ecosystems. Dire consequences of microplastics getting into the respiratory systems of avian species are increasingly of concern due to recent advancements in detection technologies which have illuminated their presence, beginning with microplastics within respiratory systems of bird species. In this study, the pathways that birds take to take in microplastics, the physiological effects to their respiratory systems, as well as environmental and human health implications are explored. As we use state of the art analytical techniques, hyperspectral imaging and micro-Raman spectroscopy, we are able to identify and characterise microplastic contaminants from avian greenhouses. These findings are particularly concerning and suggest that microplastic inhalation might be used as an indicator of air quality degradation if it can bioaccumulate and transfer to higher trophic levels in birds. The study also highlights the risks of airborne microplastics that may reach human population by shared environmental exposure. A necessary first step to mitigate microplastic pollutions and their extreme impacts is to understand these interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]