Garbage like disposable diapers, plastic bags and snack wrappers is getting into the ocean and snagging on coral reefs, leading to deadly infections that literally eat the corals alive, a new study suggests. The study found corals in contact with plastic debris had an 89 per cent chance of being diseased. And sadly, the chance of corals coming in contact with plastic in some places is quite high. A woman swims with a child along the coast in Myanmar, where the water is full of plastic garbage. The researchers think helping countries in Southeast Asia reduce the amount of plastic garbage going into the ocean could improve the health of coral reefs.

Source: CBC News January 26, 2018 15:38 UTC