Microplastics are spreading to new food chains via insects

Sep 20, 2018

Genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are pictured at Oxitec factory in Piracicaba, Brazil, October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - S1AEUJGOIJAA

Microplastics can stay inside a water-dwelling animal as they grow from one life stage to another. Image: REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Amanda Callaghan

Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Reading

Rana Al-jaibachi

PhD Researcher, University of Reading

Our Impact

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Ocean is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Ocean

Image: The Economist

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Ocean
See all

Why the tropical majority is key to creating effective ocean solutions at COP28, and beyond

Josheena Naggea, Alfredo Giron and Ana Spalding

November 29, 2023

How are rising sea temperatures affecting coral reefs in Indonesia?

Robby Irfany Maqoma

November 28, 2023

1:37

Dominica pioneers world's first sperm whale reserve

How COP28 can help accelerate research around the ocean's carbon removal potential

Sam Zak and Brad Ack

November 17, 2023

Global warming is shaking up the ocean, literally

Richard Aster

November 15, 2023

The world has lost 14% of its coral reefs since 2009. Investing in a blue economy gives us a shot at saving the rest

Francis Staub and Yabanex Batista

November 9, 2023

Microplastics are spreading to new food chains via insects

Amanda Callaghan

Rana Al-jaibachi

Share:

Explore and monitor how Ocean is affecting economies, industries and global issues

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Ocean

Have you read?

Pristine Antarctic fjords contain similar levels of microplastics to open oceans near big civilisations

From fish to honey: nothing is safe from microplastics

Are you breathing plastic air at home? Here’s how microplastics are polluting our lungs

Don't miss any update on this topic

Related topics:

Share:

The Agenda Weekly

More on Ocean
See all

Rana Al-jaibachi

Share:

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}}Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Ocean

Have you read?

Pristine Antarctic fjords contain similar levels of microplastics to open oceans near big civilisations

From fish to honey: nothing is safe from microplastics

Are you breathing plastic air at home? Here’s how microplastics are polluting our lungs

Don't miss any update on this topic

Related topics:

Share:

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;}Weekly

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

The Agenda Weekly