A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles.

ABSTRACT: Plastic ingestion has been documented in nearly 1,300 marine species, including every seabird family, marine mammal family, and sea turtle species. Acute mortality, due to obstruction, perforation, or torsion of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, has been confirmed via necropsy in all three taxa; however, quantitative risk assessment for macroplastic ingestion poses unique challenges, with risk more dependent on probability of discrete events involving diverse plastic types rather than cumulative exposure models (e.g., LC₅₀). We model mortality risk associated with macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, using data from more than 10,000 necropsies reported in the academic literature and stranding network databases. Employing an adapted Weibull Accelera

SUBMITTER: Murphy EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12684891 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature