The BBC has been accused of 'fake news' for linking the death of a baby whale to plastic and industrial chemicals in the ocean.
The latest episode of the network's Blue Planet II series has attracted criticism from a scientist in the UK, but the BBC has defended itself in a statement.
In the scene, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, a pilot whale is seen carrying her dead newborn and the death is linked to plastic in the ocean.
"In top predators like these, industrial chemicals can build up to lethal levels, and plastic could be part of the problem," Mr Attenborough said.
He explained that plastic breaks down in the ocean and combines with other pollutants in the water, which are then consumed by marine creatures.
"It's possible her calf may have been poisoned by her own contaminated milk," Mr Attenborough said.
Some viewers have taken issue with the claim, including environmental scientist Dr Malcolm Hudson.
Dr Hudson, a professor at Southampton University, told MailOnline the scene is "misleading" and "fake news".
"There was never any evidence offered to us between the death of the baby whale and the pollution from the plastic waste," he said.
Other viewers have taken issue with the scene on Twitter.
Simon Bolton asked "How do the researchers know for sure that plastic killed that baby whale?" and added that it is simply guess work.
Sam James tweeted it was "a bit naughty to insinuate that baby whale died of plastic poisoning, when clearly they had no idea why it had died."
A spokesperson for the BBC has defended the scene, and told the MailOnline the show does not state that plastic killed the baby whale but that "chemical contamination is the most likely cause" and "micro-plastics may have played a role".
"The Blue Planet II team was advised by the scientific community across the series, including a number of world experts on chemical and plastic pollution," the spokesperson said.
"The facts presented in their research indicate the dead calf could have been poisoned from its mother's milk due to chemical pollution, and new research shows that plastics could be part of the problem."
The scene ends with a warning from Mr Attenborough: "Unless the flow of plastics and industrial pollution into the world's oceans is reduced, marine life will be poisoned by them for many centuries to come."
Newshub.
