In recent years, scientists have [realized] that animals ranging from plankton to whales are regularly consuming plastic, since around 10 million tons of it ends up in the sea every year.

…Very little [has been studied] about the overall effect plastic is having on ocean animals.

While some plastic can pass harmlessly through animals’ digestive systems, it can also accumulate and kill them by either blocking or tearing their guts.

There is also some evidence to suggest that plastic can leach toxic chemicals into their surroundings.

…While the number of plastic pieces in the reptiles’ guts varied wildly from one to over 300, the scientists were able to deduce that turtles have a 50 per cent probability of death after consuming 14 pieces.

The work emerges as another study documents the global decline of turtles and tortoises that has left over 60 per cent of the world’s species either extinct or facing extinction.

Half of dead baby turtles found by Australian scientists have stomachs full of plastic | The Independent

hmmmm