Let’s Talk Trash! MAR- APR 2022 ©2021-2022 The Keenan Group, Inc Did You Know? MICROPLASTICS IN THE ENVIRONMENT MAKES UP APPROXIMATELY 80% OF ALL OCEAN LITTER.
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aaron@usstn.com c: (615) 982-2998 Microplastics are everywhere, but there’s several ways to minimize your exposure — and contribution — to the ongoing plastic pollution problem In the interest of space, some information was omitted. Go to the website and read the entire article written by Liam Pritchett / source: https://www.livekindly.co/what-are- microplastics/ Microplastics: part 2 w: (615) 227-2275 f: (615) 746-5211 Project Manager AARON WOLFE
That’s up to 51 trillion microplastic particles — 500 times more pieces of plastic than there are stars in our galaxy. If this current trend continues, oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. Plastic harms the ocean and its flora and fauna in countless ways, and underwater currents can cause debris to cover and degrade delicate habitats such as coral reefs. Marine animals can easily become tangled in fishing equipment and other detritus, while some forms of sea life consume the microplastics now present in their ecosystems. This is also true for terrestrial animals. “Many of these tiny plastic particles are swallowed by farm animals or fish who mistake them for food,” says UNEP. “And thus can find their way onto our dinner plates.” Microplastics in food P lastic is now present in wildlife and farm animals, but eating meat is not the only way that these microplastics get into our bodies. The tiny pollutants are also found in fruit and vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, pears, and apples — the latter with an average of 195,500 plastic particles per gram.
While the extent to which microplastics harm humans hasn’t yet been adequately studied, existing research does show that the consumption of plastic particles severely damages the health of wildlife — in particular, causing neurotoxicity, oxidative damage, and intestinal deformities in fish. Plastic may contain additives that are already proven to be toxic or harmful to humans — including BPA, PVC, and DBT — as well as persistent organic pollutants such as pesticides that can attach themselves to debris. Styrene, in particular, has been linked to health issues such as cancer, hearing loss, and nervous system problems. The plastics of the future The science of biodegradable and compostable plastics is constantly evolving, and new and innovative solutions could present alternatives to traditional production. While science can help make plastics more sustainable,
environment must be effectively managed. In 2019, Irish inventor Fionn Ferreira created a way of magnetizing microplastics in order to remove them from water, with a success rate of up to 88 percent. Other possibilities include nanoplastic nets, and screens that can filter out plastic-based dust.
Microplastics part 3 What can you do about microplastics in your home and daily regimen coming in the May/June issue of Let’s Talk Trash! news.
this isn’t the entire solution, and existing plastics in the
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