On an isolated island, far from any human activity.

These are the frightening findings of the latest mission by the Adrift Lab, who are behind the SynSen project, which we have been supporting for several years. This field season on Lord Howe Island, 600km off the coast of Australia, was one of the toughest: the seabirds studied were literally full of plastic. Up to 20% of their total weight. One of them had even ingested 800 pieces of plastic!

These shearwaters, migratory birds that travel between Australia and Japan every year, became so heavy that they could no longer return… or even leave. Tragic. And yet it’s only part of the problem.

📉 This invisible pollution is slowly killing us.

The SynSen project is studying the impact of microplastics on DNA and cellular ageing, in relation to a disease recently identified by the team: plasticosis, a cellular disorder caused by plastic, comparable to cancer.

⚠️ What these birds are experiencing is a warning, backed up by incontrovertible data: our way of life is threatening the health of all living beings – including our own.

➡️ It’s high time we took this pollution seriously and adopted genuinely effective measures. Fast fashion, single-use plastics, over-consumption: all these practices are fuelling a system that is running out of steam, to the detriment of living things. How far will we go?

Many media outlets have covered their work – The Washington Post, ABC News, CNN… – but it’s still not enough. We’re counting on you to take these messages even further!

🙏 Thank you to the researchers on the ground. Thank you to our partners. Thank you to the sponsors who make this research possible.