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Old 10-01-2024, 04:10   #466
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pirate Re: Microplastics in the sea

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Spain investigates contamination of Atlantic shore by millions of plastic pellets spilled from ship

Countless tiny plastic pellets are washing up on the shores of Galicia, in northern Spain, and local authorities declared an environmental emergency, on Tuesday, after six shipping containers fell off the, Liberian flagged, container ship “Toconao” [a Maersk ‘chartered’ vessel], last month [lost on Dec. 8, reported Dec. 13].

One of the six containers contained 1,000 sacks of pellets, with each sack holding 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of the tiny plastic balls, used for the production of food-grade packaging, like water bottles.

Aside from breaking down into microplastics, the pellets can act as sponges, for toxins already in the water, turning them into toxic pills, for any sea creature that eats them, and entering the food chain, eventually reaching human consumers.

The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, proposed measures last October, to help prevent the mishandling and spillage of plastic pellets. The measures must be debated, by the 27 EU member states, and the European Parliament, and would enter into force 18 months after any agreement is reached.
Nothing like prompt decisive action..
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Old 13-01-2024, 03:23   #467
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

A new study [1] shows just how prevalent microplastics are, in food we buy at the grocery store - not just in the sea, fish, and bottled water.

Researchers, at the Ocean Conservancy and University of Toronto, tested 16 protein types, including seafood, poultry, pork, beef, tofu, and three plant-based meat alternatives, and found that 88 percent of them contained microplastics.

The study [1] found that, while there wasn't a significant difference between land and sea proteins, there were significantly more microplastics found in highly processed products, like plant-based burgers, chicken nuggets, and tofu.
Microplastics have been found in anything from salt and honey to apples, cucumbers, and potatoes.

Their results suggest that reducing microplastic consumption cannot be solved by personal choice, at the grocery store. Instead, she recommends supporting more large-scale efforts, to reduce microplastic contamination, in the first place.

[1] “Exposure of U.S. adults to microplastics from commonly-consumed proteins” ~ by Madeleine H. Milne et al
https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...69749123022352
Quote:
Highlights:
• We observed microplastic contamination ≥45 μm in 16 U.S. protein products.
• Highly-processed products contained the most microplastics per gram.*
• Microplastic contamination did not differ between brands or store types.
• Mean U.S. adult exposure from consuming these proteins is >11,000 microplastics/year.
• Maximum U.S. adult exposure from these proteins is ∼3.8 million microplastics/year.
...

* Studies [2 & 3] have shown, that Ultra-Processed Foods [UPF] processing and packaging stages have the greatest environmental impacts, of the whole system, and are a major source of environmental waste worldwide.

[2] “Environmental impacts along the value chain from the consumption of ultra-processed foods” ~ by Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot et al
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01013-4

[3] “The neglected environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods” ~ by
Paraskevi Seferidi et al
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...177-7/fulltext
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Old 28-09-2024, 02:41   #468
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

Richard Thompson, and colleagues, have written a new paper [1], looking back, at the over 7,000 research studies, that have been published, about microplastics. since his discovery [in in 2004].
The aim is to understand how pervasive and problematic plastics can be — and what it'll take to find a fix.

With the UN expected to deliver a Global Treaty [2], to end plastic pollution, at the end of this year, Costas Velis says he's hopeful the world is moving in the right direction. Velis, and his team, recently looked at waste data, from 50,000 cities around the world and found that 52.1 million tonnes of plastic pollution is generated each year, dumped on land and in waterways. Much of that is coming from the 1.5 billion people, in cities where garbage collection is either unreliable, or non-existent. [3]

More about [/w several links to additional research]: “The 'godfather' of microplastics research says we need to move faster to solve our plastic problem”
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/micr...ater-1.7336516

[1] “Twenty years of microplastics pollution research—what have we learned? ~ by Richard C. Thompson et al
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl2746

[2] “The beginning of the end for plastics pollution?” ~ by Sulan Chen et al
https://www.undp.org/blog/beginning-...tics-pollution

[3] “Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution” ~ by Winnie W. Y. La [Costas Velis] et al
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba9475
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Old 08-10-2024, 00:57   #469
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

Microplastics in Moreton Bay, Australia:

Reportage:
https://theconversation.com/700-mill...ton-bay-238892

Published academic paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...48969724011264
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Old 08-10-2024, 01:08   #470
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

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A bit amusing that the authors only looked for 7 "common plastics" and found from examining sediment that microplastic pollution only started in the 1970s.

Why is that amusing? Because the 7 "common plastics" chosen by the researchers do not include the plastics that are found in car tyres. Tyre dust deposits on carriageways (roads, streets, lanes, highways, etc) and the verges of carriageways. Rain washes the tyre dust into stormwater drains, creeks, streams, and the sea. Humans and other animals of course inhale tyre dust directly.

When did manufacturers abandon vulcanized natural rubber and shift to blends of petrochemical rubber? Must surely have been prior to the 1970s, no?
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Old 12-11-2024, 04:33   #471
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

Not only are plastics polluting our oceans, and waterways, and killing marine life - it’s in all of us, and we can’t escape consuming plastics.
We breathe, eat, and drink microplastics, & nanoplastics [MNPs].

Researchers are still trying to understand exposure levels, but study after study is finding signs of plastics in body tissues.

In 2019, Australian researchers, on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund, calculated*, that many people each week consume roughly 2000 tiny pieces [5 grams] of plastic weekly, which could accumulate to 250 grams a year. That estimate is not universally embraced by researchers, but is commonly mentioned in news articles.

The single largest source of plastic ingestion is through water, both bottled and tap, all over the world. Of the consumables studied, those with the highest recorded plastic levels include shellfish, beer, and salt.

But, are these MNPs in the body harmless, dangerous, or somewhere in between?

A 2022 World Health Organization report[1] concluded there was no clear risk to human health, based on the available evidence.

A small study [2], in the New England Journal of Medicine, earlier this year, suggested, but did not prove, that patients with evidence of plastics, in their arteries, were at greater risk of death from heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers, from The Pennsylvania State University, have also suggested the pesky particles may actually play a part in cloud formation. [3]
Clouds form when invisible water vapour condenses, and turns into ice crystals, or liquid water droplets, and said droplets connect with floating particles in the air, such as dust.
Their study [3], published in ACS ES&T Air, the atmospheric chemists, has found that microplastics are also capable of producing these ice crystals; even at temperatures warmer than other droplets without microplastics.
This suggests that microplastics [such as low density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate] in the air may affect weather, and climate, by producing clouds, in conditions where they would not otherwise form.

* “No Plastic in Nature: Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People” ~ by Wijnand de Wit, & Nathan Bigaud, for the World Wildlife Fund [WWF]
https://assets.wwf.org.au/image/uplo...o-people-jun19

[1] “Dietary and inhalation exposure to nano- and microplastic particles and potential implications for human health” ~ by the World Health Organization [WHO], 2022
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handl...pdf?sequence=1

[2] “Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events” ~ by Raffaele Marfella, M.D., Ph.D. et al
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822

[3] “Pristine and Aged Microplastics Can Nucleate Ice through Immersion Freezing” ~ by Heidi L. Busse et al
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsestair.4c00146
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Old 11-02-2025, 07:23   #472
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

US president Donald Trump has pledged to 'back plastic straws', after he signed an executive order, to end the "forced use of paper straws".
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-shee...-paper-straws/

Coincidentally, on the merchandise section, of Trump's official website, he offered supporters a pack of 10 red plastic straws, with the word 'Trump' printed on it, for the sum of $37 [$3.70 per straw]. They're currently sold out.
https://www.officialtrump2024store.c...39987875446854
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Old 14-02-2025, 14:53   #473
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Re: Microplastics in the sea

Same old story: Those in power find problems are useful while solutions are not.
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Old 14-02-2025, 14:57   #474
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pirate Re: Microplastics in the sea

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Same old story: Those in power find problems are useful while solutions are not.
Drill Baby Drill.. Gotta make use of all the waste oil..
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