HPU Professor Helps Author Research Paper on Seabirds

HPU Professor David Hyrenbach, Ph.D., helped author a peer-reviewed paper entitled, "Plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants in the preen gland oil of seabirds sampled across the globe" in the journal Japan Society for Environmental Chemistry (J-Stage).

The paper, published on October 11, 2021, states, "Plastic pollution, and its associated impacts on marine fauna due to chemical contamination, is an area of growing global concern. We analyzed 145 preen gland oil samples from 32 seabird species belonging to 8 families with different foraging habits and life history strategies from around the world for plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants."

J-Stage states that Hyrenbach was part of an international team from 18 institutions in seven countries that found up to 52% of seabirds not only ate plastic, but also accumulated the plastic’s chemical components in their bodies.

To read the complete peer-reviewed paper click here.