Scientists have found that plastic trash ubiquitous throughout the world's oceans massively increases the chance of disease in corals. "We examined more than 120,000 corals, both plastic-free and with plastic present, on 159 reefs from Indonesia, Australia, Myanmar and Thailand," said Joleah Lamb, from the Cornell University in the US. "What's troubling about coral disease is that once the coral tissue loss occurs, it's not coming back," said Lamb. "It's like getting gangrene on your foot and there is nothing you can do to stop it from affecting your whole body," the researcher said.She said the problem of plastic waste looks to be getting worse. "This study demonstrates that reductions in the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean will have direct benefits to coral reefs by reducing disease-associated mortality," Lamb said.

Source: dna January 27, 2018 08:15 UTC