Is global plastic pollution nearing an irreversible tipping point? .eurekalert.org. July 01, 2021. Common press release: Stockholm University, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. Catching a big blue barrel floating on the ocean surface in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from the German […]
Micro- and nanoplastics detectable in human tissues. sciencedaily.com. August 17, 2020. Summary: Plastic pollution is a global problem. Even when plastic bags or water bottles break down, tiny fragments can still contaminate the environment. Animals and humans can ingest the particles, with uncertain health consequences. Now, scientists report that they are among the first to […]
Microplastic drifting down with the snow. sciencedaily.com. August 14, 2019. In the Alps and the Arctic, experts confirm the presence of plastic in snow. Summary: Over the past several years, microplastic particles have repeatedly been detected in sea-water, drinking water, and even in animals. But these minute particles are also transported by the atmosphere and […]
Hundreds of sharks and rays tangled in plastic. eurekalert.org. July 04, 2019. Hundreds of sharks and rays have become tangled in plastic waste in the world’s oceans, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists scoured existing published studies and Twitter for shark and ray entanglements, and found reports of more than 1,000 entangled individuals. And […]
Americans consumer 70,000 particles of microplastics per year. sciencedaily.com. June 5, 2019. Summary: Since the mass production of plastics began in the 1940s, the versatile polymers have spread rapidly across the globe. Although plastics have made life easier in many ways, disposing of the materials is a growing problem. Now, researchers estimate that the average […]
Australian islands home to 414 million pieces of plastic pollution. sciencedaily.com. May 16, 2019. Summary: A survey of plastic pollution on Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands has revealed the territory’s beaches are littered with an estimated 414 million pieces of plastic debris. The study estimated beaches on the Indian Ocean islands are littered with 238 tons […]
‘Molecular scissors’ for plastic waste. Enzyme MHETase decoded. eurekalert.org. April 12, 2019. Plastics are excellent materials: extremely versatile and almost eternally durable. But this is also exactly the problem, because after only about 100 years of producing plastics, plastic particles are now found everywhere – in groundwater, in the oceans, in the air, and in […]
PE, PP and PS: The most abundant type of microplastics in Mediterranean coastal waters. eurekalert.org. February 28, 2019. Effects of the plastic civilization. Polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene are the most abundant microplastics in the Mediterranean coastal waters, according to a new study published by the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin -by the experts Miquel Canals, William […]
Why Tetra Paks aren’t Green (even though they’re recyclable). treadingmyownpath.com. September 11th, 2014. Tetra Paks are the cartons you find in the shops that are used to package milk, juice and various other liquids. You can also find products like chopped tomatoes packaged in this way. These containers allow food to be protected from contamination […]
Plastic in Britain’s seals, dolphins and whales. eurekalert.org. January 31, 2019. Microplastics have been found in the guts of every marine mammal examined in a new study of animals washed up on Britain’s shores. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) examined 50 animals from 10 species of dolphins, seals and whales […]
How dangerous is microplastic? .eurekalert.org. January 10, 2018. Dr. Natalia Ivleva discusses her research into the analysis of microplastic. Dr. Natalia Ivleva, a group leader at the Institute for Hydrochemistry (IWC) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has developed new analytical methods based on Raman microscopy for the identification and quantification of microplastic.CREDITUli Benz / […]
The European Parliamente wants to ban microplastixs en cosmetics. By Michiel Roscam Abbing. beatthemicrobead.org. 26/10/18. Breaking news: the European Parliament has embraced the environment commission’s report entitled Turning plastic wastelands into fields of gold, by a huge majority. ¿Inofensivo dentífrico? (SerTox) The report, compiled by the European Parliamentarian Mark Demesmaeker, supports the Plastic Strategy, Europe’s strategy to […]
How much would it cost to switch to plastic alternatives? Richard Gray crunches the numbers. bbcnews. July 06, 2018. Walking along a short section of stony beach, Claire Waluda stoops briefly to pick up something from between the rocks. It is a brightly coloured plastic bottle top – just one of hundreds of bits of […]
Why pristine lakes are filled with toxins. By Melissa Hogenboom. bbcnews. April 30, 2018. Much of the focus on plastic pollution centres on our oceans. Emerging evidence shows it’s also a problem in freshwater, which may even be the source. In 2016 a team of scientists scoured a dozen beaches around the shores of Lake […]
Earth day 2018. End plastic pollution. earthday.org. March 07, 2018. 10 Shocking Facts About Plastic Pollution. Plastic pollution is killing our planet, and plastic pollution is killing us. It’s choking our oceans, poisoning our food and water supply, and wreaking havoc on the health and well-being of humans and wildlife worldwide. Use these ten shocking […]
High levels of microplastics found in Northwest Atlantic fish. sciencedaily.com. February 16, 2018. New study finds microplastics in the stomachs of 73 percent of mesopelagic fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic — one of the highest levels globally. Summary: A new study finds 73 percent of mesopelagic fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic had microplastics in […]
An underestimated threat: Land-based pollution with microplastics. sciencedaily.com. February 05, 2018. Summary: Tiny plastic particles also present a threat to creatures on land and may have damaging effects similar or even more problematic than in our oceans. Researchers warn: the impact of microplastics in soils, sediments and the freshwaters could have a long-term negative effect […]
Brain damage in fish from plastic nanoparticles in water. sciencedaily.com. September 25, 2017. Summary: A new study shows that plastic particles in water may end up inside fish brains. The plastic can cause brain damage, which is the likely cause of behavioral disorders observed in the fish.Calculations have shown that 10 per cent of all […]
Microplastic particles threaten fish larvae. sciencedaily.com. June 02, 2016. Summary: Researchers have found that larval fish exposed to microplastic particles during development displayed changed behaviors and stunted growth which lead to greatly increased mortality rates. The researchers discovered that larval perch that had access to microplastic particles only ate plastic and ignored their natural food […]
‘BPA-free’ plastic accelerates embryonic development, disrupts reproductive system. sciencedaily.com. February 01, 2016. Summary: Companies advertise ‘BPA-free’ as a safer version of plastic products ranging from water bottles to sippy cups to toys. Yet a new study demonstrates that BPS, a common replacement for BPA, speeds up embryonic development and disrupts the reproductive system. The research […]
Great Barrier Reef corals eat plastic. sciencedaily.com. February 24, 2015. Summary: Researchers in Australia have found that corals commonly found on the Great Barrier Reef will eat micro-plastic pollution. Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic in the environment and are a widespread contaminant in marine ecosystems, particularly in inshore coral reefs. Corales en acuario (SerTox) […]
Magnitude of plastic waste going into the ocean calculated: 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans per year.sciencedaily.com. February 12, 2015. Summary:How much mismanaged plastic waste is making its way from land to ocean has been a decades-long guessing game. Now scientists have put a number on the global problem. Their study found […]