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Widespread microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in the intestines of birds: A case study from Chengdu, China

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025 7 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 63 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Peng Zhou, Lin Sun, Shane G. DuBay, Mengzhu Wang, Peng Zhou, Peng Zhou, Mengzhu Wang, Peng Zhou, Peng Zhou, Mengzhu Wang, Zhixiong Yang, Mengzhu Wang, Mengzhu Wang, Shane G. DuBay, Yongjie Wu Shane G. DuBay, Shane G. DuBay, Shane G. DuBay, Peng Zhou, Yiwei Cao, Yiwei Cao, Shangmingyu Zhang, Xiaoying Zhao, Jiayu Zhang, Zhixiong Yang, Yiwei Cao, Zhixiong Yang, Shangmingyu Zhang, Shangmingyu Zhang, Shangmingyu Zhang, Peng Zhou, Jiayu Zhang, Yibo Wang, Shangmingyu Zhang, Jiayu Zhang, Zhixiong Yang, Zhixiong Yang, Jiayu Zhang, Zhengrui Hu, Zhengrui Hu, Zhengrui Hu, Yibo Wang, Zhengrui Hu, Zhengrui Hu, Zhengrui Hu, Yiwei Cao, Zhixiong Yang, Zhengrui Hu, Xingcheng He, Zhengrui Hu, Zhixiong Yang, Jiayu Zhang, Yongjie Wu Zhengrui Hu, Yibo Wang, Yibo Wang, Zhengrui Hu, Xingcheng He, Jiayu Zhang, Xiaoying Zhao, Xiaoying Zhao, Lin Sun, Lin Sun, Jiachen Dang, Jiachen Dang, Jiachen Dang, Jiachen Dang, Xingcheng He, Xingcheng He, Xingcheng He, Yongjie Wu Shane G. DuBay, Yongjie Wu

Summary

Researchers found microplastics and nanoplastics in the intestines of 49 bird species in Chengdu, China, with PVC and chlorinated polyethylene being the most common types. Nanoplastics, which are harder to detect and potentially more harmful, were confirmed in five species using advanced analytical methods. The widespread contamination across many bird species suggests that microplastic pollution has thoroughly penetrated terrestrial food webs, not just marine environments.

Polymers

PE PP PVC nylon

Widespread pollution of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) poses significant threats to organisms and human health. However, the extent of MPs and NPs contamination and their ecological risks to wildlife remain underexplored. In this study, we used Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) spectroscopy to identify and characterize MPs in the intestinal contents of 49 bird species, and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to identify NPs in the intestinal contents of five species. LDIR analysis indicated that chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the most prevalent plastics among 32 identified types. MP particle sizes below 100 μm were most abundant, and MPs were predominantly in the form of fragments or pellets. We also found that birds with narrower dietary niche breadth had more MPs. Herbivorous and carnivorous birds had higher MP abundance than omnivorous species, which suggests the capacity of MP accumulation across diet categories. The Polymer Hazard Index (PHI) for MPs revealed that most species sampled were classified at hazard levels III or IV. Py-GC/MS identified four types of NPs in bird intestines, including nylon 66 (PA66), PVC, polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP). This study advances our knowledge of plastic pollution ingested by terrestrial organisms and the risks associated with increased plastic pollution in the environment.

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