Ocean Plastic Poisoning: The POPs Crisis in Cetaceans

Marine plastics are good surfaces for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to attach to, and when ingested, these pollutants enter the bodies of whales and are sometimes stored in their blubber. Through bioaccumulation, species at the top of the food chain are most likely to accumulate the highest amounts of these chemicals, and POPs have been found in humpback whales, sperm whales, pilot whales, and fin whales, among others.