A study by a Chelmsford academic has revealed the impact of microplastics on marine habitats.

The work by Dr Dannielle Green, of Anglia Ruskin University, showed that even small concentrations of plastic, such as microbeads found in toothpaste, cosmetics and household cleaning products, can seriously damage coastal environments.

Dr Green’s work focused on a muddy seabed containing European flat oysters in Northern Ireland. She found microplastics caused a reduction in microalgae, an important food source, and nutrients, while leading to an increase in numbers of “indicator species” of pollution, such as bootlace worms.

Dr Green, lecturer in Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin, said: “Mud is a bit like a battery, in that organic material is stored and then recycled and released as nutrients. This fuels algae and therefore supports the food web in marine systems.

“Our study demonstrates the potential of microplastics to impact the functioning and structure of some marine habitats by reducing nutrients in the water and changing the types of animals that live there.”