MICROPLASTICS: A THREAT TO US ALL
Plastic is the leading cause of pollution in our oceans
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash
In just the first decade of the 21st century...
More plastic was made than all the plastic in history up to the year 2000 (4).
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash
Each year, an estimated 14 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean (2).
80% of all marine debris, from the surface to seafloor, is plastic (2).
Only 9% of all plastic is recycled annually (8)
The growth in plastic production is alarming, but our attention is misfocused.
92% of the plastic in oceans is actually microplastic. These are plastic debris or particles that are five millimeter or less in length (9).
Marine life are easily harmed by microplastics, which can enter their body simply through breathing (6).
Microplastics take decades or longer to fully degrade. Experts believe there is a level of exposure in all aquatic species (9).
Nurdles, or pre-production plastic pellets, are a specific type of microplastic. These pellets are melted into the plastic products we know and use daily (7).
An estimated 230,000 tons of nurdles end up in our oceans every year in transport to factories or plastic plants (3).
Nurdles have caused more damage to our oceans than oil spills, but have still not been classified as hazardous to our environment by the Environmental Protection Agency (3).
Data access is extremely limited to microplastics and nurdles, despite evidence that they play one of the largest roles in plastic pollution (1).
Everyone should do their part to contribute to the growing research on microplastic and nurdles.
HOW YOU CAN HELP TODAY
Encourage greater data transparency & reporting on microplastics and nurdles
Consider eco-friendly packaging when purchasing goods
References and further reading:
1. Jenkins, Tia, Bhaleka D. Persaud, Win Cowger, Kathy Szigeti, Dominique G. Roche, Erin Clary, Stephanie Slowinski, et al. “Current State of Microplastic Pollution Research Data: Trends in Availability and Sources of Open Data.” Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 (2022). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.912107.
2. IUCN. “Marine Plastic Pollution.” Resource. Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution.
3. McVeigh, Karen. “Nurdles: The Worst Toxic Waste You’ve Probably Never Heard of.” The Guardian, November 29, 2021, sec. Environment. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/29/nurdles-plastic-pellets-environmental-ocean-spills-toxic-waste-not-classified-hazardous.
4. “Ocean Plastics Pollution.” Accessed November 29, 2022. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/.
5. Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Plastic Pollution.” Our World in Data, September 1, 2018. https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution.
6. US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “What Are Microplastics?” Accessed November 23, 2022. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html.
7. “What’s a Nurdle?” Accessed November 23, 2022. https://carnegiemnh.org/whats-a-nurdle/.
8. rePurpose Global. “Why Is Most Plastic Not Recycled? - Purpose Rising Blog.” Accessed November 29, 2022. https://repurpose.global/blog/post/why-is-most-plastic-not-recycled.
9. Lim, XiaoZhi. “Microplastics Are Everywhere — but Are They Harmful?” Nature 593, no. 7857 (May 4, 2021): 22–25. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01143-3.
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