This blog was written by Hannah De Frond, Ocean Conservancy Consultant and International Trash Trap Network Coordinator and Madeleine Milne, Ocean Conservancy Consultant and University of Toronto Graduate Student.
Factors like price, packaging and health value often influence what products people choose when walking down the aisle of a grocery store. What people may not be thinking about is something that we are surrounded by every day: microplastics—pieces of plastic less than five millimeters in size.
Microplastic pollution has been found in every ecosystem on Earth, from the depths of our ocean to remote mountain peaks. Microplastics have even been found in the air we breathe and the food we eat, meaning that humans consume microplastics daily. In fact, the saying “You are what you eat” rings true—microplastics have been detected in humans’ bodies (including in human blood, lungs and placentas).
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These facts alone are scary to think about, and one big question is, “What does this mean for human health?” To answer this and inform risk assessments, we need to understand the amount of microplastics that humans are consuming on average and better understand the chemical and physical effects that microplastics can cause in the human body.
To date, most studies investigating microplastics in food items have focused on seafood (fish and shellfish), leaving other foods understudied. For example, terrestrial meats (beef, pork, chicken) have barely been studied, despite making up almost 90% of meat products in an average American diet. To fill this knowledge gap, Ocean Conservancy partnered with researchers from the Rochman Lab at the University of Toronto to study 16 commonly consumed protein products for microplastic contamination, ranging from fresh-caught fish to highly processed plant-based burgers. We purchased products directly from fishing boats and organic and conventional grocers and bought different brands of the same products to assess how these factors might influence microplastic contamination.
Microplastics were found in all 16 products tested and 88% of samples, including seafood, terrestrial proteins and meat-alternative products like tofu. On average, we found 74 microplastics per serving of any given protein. Through a survey of United States adults, we also collected data on average consumption patterns for the products analyzed to develop an estimate of annual microplastic exposure. Based on our results, we estimate that the average U.S. adult could consume up to 3.8 million microplastics annually from the combined average intake of 13 protein products.*
When different products were compared, greater microplastic contamination was found in highly processed products, suggesting that processing steps (e.g., cutting, introduction of other ingredients or packaging) may introduce plastic contamination into food. This shows that more research is needed to identify the sources of contamination from processing and inform actions to reduce it. We also found that microplastics are a concern for all consumers, no matter your diet or shopping preferences, as no differences were found between microplastic contamination in seafood, terrestrial and plant-based products, between different brands of the same product or even between conventional supermarkets and higher-end natural grocers.
The results of this study demonstrate that microplastics are widespread in our food system. It is not just a seafood issue; it is something that affects us all. We hope that the results of this work propel further research into microplastics in food products, including other proteins, fruits, vegetables and grains to gain a better understanding of microplastic consumption from our whole diet. Although it is important to pinpoint where microplastics in the food system are coming from, addressing the microplastic pollution crisis more broadly is one surefire way to make an impact. For example, microfibers were the most common shape of microplastic found across all samples, which suggests that efforts to reduce microfiber pollution, the installation of washing machine filters, for example, is one way to help mitigate this problem.
That’s why Ocean Conservancy is advocating for legislation at the local, state and federal levels to address microplastic pollution and reduce microplastic emissions to protect food safety and human health into the future. Read our full research paper here.
*Products included: breaded shrimp, minced pollock, fish sticks, white Gulf shrimp (headless/shell-on), Key West pink shrimp (headless/shell-on), Alaska Pollock fillets (skinless), chicken nuggets, top sirloin steaks, pork loin chops, chicken breasts, plant-based nuggets, plant-based fish sticks, plant-based ground beef and tofu blocks.
The post Microplastics in Protein Products Concerns All Consumers appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
For generations, stories of people being swallowed by enormous sea creatures have painted awe-inspiring tales of human survival and perseverance. From the biblical account of Jonah to the legendary battle of Hercules and Cetus to the timeless story of Pinocchio, these legendary tales have captivated people since time immemorial.
But all these stories raise the question: Could someone really be swallowed by a whale? With the premiere of the film Whalefall on October 16, 2026, you may find yourself in conversations about this very situation. Based on the bestselling 2023 thriller authored by Daniel Kraus, the film tells the story of a scuba diver who is accidentally gobbled up by a sperm whale while searching for the remains of his late father. With only an hour of oxygen left in his tank, the diver must fight to escape the whale’s gut before time runs out.
The answer to whether it’s anatomically possible for a whale to swallow a person is actually a bit more complicated than you might think.
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What’s not possible
First, let’s start with what’s not possible. There are about 90 whale species known to science today, and they are split into two different groups: toothed whales, such as sperm whales, and baleen whales, such as humpback whales and blue whales. Instead of teeth, baleen whales have massive rows of specially designed bristles that act as filters. When feeding, these whales take big gulps of water, filtering through massive amounts of tiny krill and plankton. This is why baleen whales are known as filter feeders.
Because baleen whales eat such small organisms in large amounts, they don’t physically require much space to swallow their food. The opening in their throat that leads to their esophagus is shockingly small—it’s only about the size of a grapefruit! It’s probably obvious by now, but scientifically, it is entirely impossible for a baleen whale to swallow a person. While a few news stories have recounted oceangoers like kayakers accidentally ending up in or around the mouths of humpback whales, they’ve been spit out or released within seconds. If you were a whale, this would feel like trying to eat a handful of M&Ms and accidentally realizing an entire rotisserie chicken was in your mouth!
Toothed whale anatomy, however, is where this answer gets a bit more nuanced. Toothed cetaceans eat creatures like fish, sharks and squid. Because toothed whales need to chew their food, their digestive anatomy varies from that of their baleen counterparts, and they have notably larger gullets.
What is possible
However, even amidst the more than 70 known species of toothed whales, only one species is anatomically capable of swallowing a person whole: the sperm whale.
Sperm whales are massive creatures and can grow to be up to 60 feet long. Because of their size, their prey tend to be on the larger side, too. A sperm whale’s esophagus isn’t particularly huge, but it has the elasticity to stretch to fit large prey such as giant squid, which can grow to be more than 20 feet long (not including their appendages). So, if a sperm whale can swallow a giant squid … could they potentially swallow a human?
Technically yes, but it’s so highly improbable that it’s nearly inconceivable. First, the likelihood that a human encounters a sperm whale is negligible on its own. Unlike whale species like humpbacks, sperm whales prefer to hang out in the deep water columns and underwater canyons of the open ocean, often diving down to close to 10,000 feet in search of food. So a person’s chances of seeing a sperm whale at any point in their life are very small.
Even if a sperm whale did somehow manage to swallow a person, the circumstances would likely not be what you’d expect. Project CETI whale biologist Shane Gero told Popular Science that it’s not necessarily impossible, but highly unlikely, and would have to involve the “biggest sperm whale ever” to be feasible. Even if it did happen, Gero noted that the initial rush of water or even the whale trying to “cough” to expel the person would likely be enough impact to kill a person before an actual digestive process could.
Has this ever happened?
To date, there is no documented case of a whale actually swallowing a person. The only animal on Earth known to have successfully swallowed a person whole is the longest snake species in the world: the reticulated python.
So, while the thriller Whalefall may be deeply unsettling to watch, you can rest easy knowing just how unlikely—if not impossible—this situation actually is. You need not be afraid of sperm whales … however, if you were a sperm whale, you might be afraid of humans!
These marine mammals are regularly threatened by dangers like vessel strikes, noise pollution and entanglement in lost or discarded fishing gear, otherwise known as “ghost gear”. They are a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, and we should see them not as a threat, but as a captivating species worth protecting. Help Ocean Conservancy protect animals like sperm whales today by taking action in support of the Endangered Species Act.
The post Could You Really Be Swallowed by a Whale? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
Ocean Acidification
Dr Heidarzadeh’s TV interview with SkyNews on the massive M7.7 Panama earthquake on 9 October 2026
Dr Heidarzadeh’s TV interview with SkyNews on the massive M7.7 Panama earthquake on 9 October 2026. Click here for the full story.
Dr Heidarzadeh’s TV interview with SkyNews on the massive M7.7 Panama earthquake on 9 October 2026
Our ocean is an incredibly vast and mysterious place. And there is no place where that is more evident than the deepest ocean area in the world: the legendary Mariana Trench. Located east of the Philippines, the Mariana Trench lies in the Mariana Archipelago in the western portion of the North Pacific. The greater area of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument is made up of more than 95,000 square miles of ocean. Beneath these waters lie incredibly complex aggregations of submerged islands and volcanoes … and of course, an astoundingly massive trench.
Dive in with us to have your biggest questions answered about the famed Mariana Trench.
How deep is the Mariana Trench?
The deepest part of the Mariana Trench, known as Challenger Deep, is almost 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. For context, Mount Everest is about 29,000 feet above sea level, so the Mariana Trench is about 7,000 feet deeper than Mount Everest is tall. For one more comparison, the RMS Titanic lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet below sea level. The Challenger Deep is in waters nearly three times deeper than this ship’s final resting place.
Due to its enormous size, the Mariana Trench has at times been affectionately nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the ocean. This is certainly a picturesque image, but don’t let the mammoth size of this U.S. national terrestrial park fool you into thinking the Mariana Trench matches its size. The trench’s footprint is estimated to be 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon’s, and to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, you’d need to descend through almost six Grand Canyons stacked on top of each other before you’d reach the seafloor.
Oh … and did we mention it’s five times wider than it is deep? It’s about 43 miles wide!
What is Challenger Deep, and how long would it take to reach it?
Challenger Deep is the deepest point of the Mariana Trench. Fewer than 30 people have ever journeyed to this area. The trek below the surface is long, dark and time-consuming, and it’s not an expedition considered lightly by scientists and explorers.
The first people to descend into the depths of this area in 1960 were oceanographers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh, and it took them close to five hours to reach Challenger Deep. Since then, more advanced submersibles have been created, but it still takes two to four hours for modern vessels to reach such depths. For example, explorer and filmmaker James Cameron reached the seafloor in a little more than 2.5 hours in the first documented solo submarine dive to the area, and it took oceanographer Dr. Dawn Wright about four hours in 2022. It is crucial that these submersibles descend slowly and steadily beneath the surface, as the immense water pressure compounds with every mile a submersible descends. Speaking of pressure …