It seems we're releasing anywhere around 10 to 30 nanograms of plastic fragments just a few nanometres across for every 3 metres (about 10 feet) of plastic we break apart.
If you pulled 1,000 liters of water out of the ocean, how many small bits of plastic would you expect to find? Ten pieces? One hundred pieces? 8.3 million pieces of what researchers call "mini-microplastic" is the finding of an alarming new study.
Dutch researchers have found recently announced that cells exposed to microplastics experience cell death three times faster than those that are not. With microplastic pollution everywhere, the findings are sobering.
Wherever that plastic is ending up, we know that it's breaking down over time, disintegrating into micro particles less than 5mm in size, and some even breakdown to the nanoscale at less than one micrometer (size of bacteria).
“Nurdles” may sound cute but they pose a huge risk to the marine environment. Also known as “mermaid tears”, these small plastic pellets are a feedstock in the plastic industry.
Tiny particles of up to nine different types of plastic were discovered during the tests. Plastic in the gut could suppress the immune system and aid transmission of toxins and harmful bugs or viruses, experts believe.
A creation is an underwater device that uses light to detect harmful pollution in the ocean and it does so without harming living organisms.
A study examining 11 brands of bottled water sold around the world has found that nearly every sample tested was contaminated by plastic particles.
