Plastic Bags: Caught in the Net of a Typo

Plastic Bags: Caught in the Net of a Typo

As a follow up on a previous story:
http://mwiner.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/letting-the-endangered-cat-out-of-the-plastic-bag/

The demonization of plastic retail bags starts with this 1987 Canadian study:

[Piatt, J.F. and D.N. Nettleship. 1987. Incidental catch of marine birds and mammals in fishing nets off Newfoundland, Canada. Marine Pollution Bulletin 18(6B): 344-349]

It found that, between 1981 and 1984, more than 100,000 marine mammals and birds were killed by discarded nets.  You’ll note there is no mention of plastic bags here.

In 2002, the Australian Government commissioned a report (known as the Nolan-ITU report) on the effects of plastic bags.  It misquoted the earlier study as follows:

A figure of 100,000 marine animals killed annually has been widely quoted by environmental groups; this figure was from a study in Newfoundland which estimated the number of animals entrapped by plastic bags in that area from a four-year period from 1981-84.

As of September 2006, the sentence has been corrected to:

A figure of 100,000 marine animals killed annually has been widely quoted by environmental groups; this figure was from a study in Newfoundland which estimated the number of animals entrapped by plastic debris in that area from a four-year period from 1981-84.

The report in 2006 goes on to say:

Actual numbers of animals injured or killed annually by plastic bag litter is obviously nearly impossible to determine.

If this isn’t enough to cause you to question the demonization of plastic bags, then perhaps Greenpeace will do?  In a 2008 interview David Santillo told The Times (UK):   “It’s very unlikely that many animals are killed by plastic bags. The evidence shows just the opposite”.

Sources:

http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/plastic-bags/analysis.html

http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/plastic-bags/pubs/analysis.pdf

http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/plastic.html#2

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3508263.ece

Piatt, J.F. and D.N. Nettleship. 1987. Incidental catch of marine birds and mammals in fishing nets off Newfoundland, Canada. Marine Pollution Bulletin 18(6B): 344-349], which found that, between 1981 and 1984, more than 100,000 marine mammals and birds were killed by discarded nets.

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