Microplastics

Microplastics Report

Introduction

This inquiry will explore the effects of microplastic on the environment. Plastic was probably the greatest discovery of its time, which as in the early 1900s by Leo Hendrik Baekeland. However, we are aware of the negative effects of plastic on the environment. Recently scientific studies have highlighted microplastics, (a by-product of plastics) as the biggest current threat to our marine environments. We are only starting to wake up to this crisis and look for solutions. If we don't act now there won't be time to act. Microplastics are a global problem for the world's oceans.

This inquiry will explore microplastics and the effects it has on the environment by

What are microplastics?

Plastic is the most prevalent type of marine rubbish found in our oceans. Most plastics in the ocean break up into small particles called microplastics. Other plastics are intentionally designed to be small, such as microbeads. Microbeads are usually made out of polyethylene. Therefore, I encourage you to look out for these words when you buy products which are used in many health and beauty products such as cleansers and to Plastic debris can come in all shapes and sizes, but those that are less than five millimetres in size (or about the size of a sesame seed) are called “microplastics.”

How does microplastic enter the ocean

Microplastics end up on the ocean through many different ways. This can be through the results of the disposal of rubbish. Rubbish can result from the plastic you put in the bin which ends up in a landfill, perfect. There are many ways for plastic rubbish the end up in the ocean?. When rubbish is being transported to a landfill, plastic is often blown away because it’s so lightweight. Rubbish can also be dumped deliberately or irresponsibly by humans. From anywhere, rubbish can eventually end up in the oceans. Drains, rivers, wastewater and wind are common transport methods. All plastic rubbish can eventually breakdown in the environment to microplastic. A study in Australian investigated a polluted beach. Things that were found on the beach include consumer items, consumer packaging and drink packaging. Rubbish that can escape waste management. As plastic breaks down, it makes its way into the ocean spreading easily. The study found if you look closely, you can see the microplastics scattered across the sand. Even if you live hundreds of miles from the coast, the plastic you throw away could make its way into the sea.

Other sources of microplastics include microfibres and microbeads. Microfibers are released into waterways when clothes made with recycled plastics are washed. Microfibers and microbeads are too small to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants.

Where are microplastics more prevalent and why?

Obviously, where pollution is greatest, microplastics is more prevalent. Many millions of tonnes of plastic pour into the oceans every year, but where all the pollution ends up is not well known.

Recently research highlighted that worst effects of microplastics are in the “Hadal zone”, the deepest regions of the oceans lying within oceanic trenches. “Man Made plastics have mainly been contaminating the most remote and deepest places on the planet,” said the Chinese researchers. The hadal zone is likely one of the largest sinks for microplastic debris on Earth,

with unknown but potentially damaging impacts on this fragile ecosystem. This is due to the fact that microplastics slowly sink, which means it has a massive effect on the hadal zone. Further work to evaluate the impacts of microplastics on the fragile hadal ecosystems is urgently needed. These Chinese researchers identified the microplastics in ocean trenches likely came from the industrialised nations in East Asia, including China and Japan. The trenches are narrow, V-shaped abyss and therefore traps sinking particles. Earthquakes are relatively common in the trenches and these may help shake sediments down into the trenches, the researchers said. The global release of primary microplastics into the ocean was estimated at 1.5 million tons per year.

Microplastic has been also found in some Freshwater Lakes and rivers. New research shows that microplastics are being overlooked in river ecosystems where they contaminate insects and pose risk to other wildlife. Work to avoid microplastic entering these areas will reduce the follow on effect in the oceans.

How does microplastics impact the Ocean

Ecosystem

All that plastic is causing harm to the creatures that live in the ocean, from coral reefs smothered in bags, to turtles gagging on straws, to whales and seabirds that starve because their bellies are so jammed with bits of plastic to the point that there’s no room for real food.

Microplastic debris floating in the world’s oceans could be having a massive impact on marine life. Aquatic life and birds normally mistake microplastics for foods. Studies have shown microplastics have been found in fifty per cent of freshwater insects. Microplastics enter the diet of fish, shellfish, and birds, as well as our own food. This can really affect the food chain in the ecosystem. Tiny bits of plastic rubbish is having an impact on lugworms especially, and other marine animals, which are an important source of food for other animals. Microplastic debris is made up of tiny plastic beads, granules, fibres and fragments less than 5mm in diameter. Ingesting the tiny particles ruining their digestive system can prevent animals, including lugworms, from consuming their natural prey, leading to starvation and even death. These creatures also face the threat that this debris may be toxic. While these chemicals and their potential effects on organisms in the environment are well known, the way they interact with plastics once they are in the gut of animals is less known.

How does microplastics affect humans

These plastic particles in the marine environment are eaten by plankton, which is then eaten by fish. The plastic particles continue to work their way up the food chain until they reach our dinner plates. This is one of the main ways that microplastic enters your body.

Another common way is through household dust and air. New research published earlier this year has shown that household dust is a more likely source of microplastics than even mussels. According to researchers, 114 pieces of microplastic settle on a dinner plate during the 20-minute duration of a meal, adding up to anywhere between 13,000 and 68,000 pieces per year. And when you breathe in air, you could be breathing in the microscopic plastic particles as well.

Another reason is through Drinking Water. We already know that microplastics can be found in oceans, lakes, and other water sources. So, what makes us certain that our drinking water is free of toxic plastics? They tested 259 bottles of water bought from 9 different countries. The 11 brands of bottled water tested included big names like Aquafina, Nestle Pure Life, Dasani, Evian, and others. The findings suggest that if you drink one litre of bottled water per day, you could be consuming tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year.

What are we currently doing to reduce microplastics

Countries all over the world are starting to wake up and are enforcing new different methods to reduce the use of plastic. In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has banned microbeads. The New Zealand government are next working to ban the small plastic balls. Nationally, many people are realizing the environmental damage that microbeads and things like facial cleansers, bath scrubs, and toothpaste are causing. They're not small enough to be captured by wastewater treatment systems but are large enough to capture environmental damage, particularly to marine life.

In other countries, they have been making decisions to ban plastics. Another classic example is Peru. They have decided to ban single-use plastics. Visitors will no longer be allowed to carry in single-use plastic, biodegradable plastics or others whose degradation does not generate contamination by micro-plastics or dangerous substances. According to Peru's Environment Ministry, the country uses 947,000 tons of plastic each year, while 75 per cent is thrown out and only 0.3 percent is recycled. In North America, San Diego has also decided to ban all styrofoam which can break down into the worst type of microplastic. A number of local businesses have already started switching to reusable, washable straws or disposable ones made from paper or hay.

Globally we are releasing new techniques to overcome the effect that all types of plastic have.

What can we do to reduce microplastics

The world has a plastic pollution problem and it’s snowballing but so is public awareness and action this plastic will only increase the effect of microplastics. With all my research, I have come up with a realistic idea that I believe should be taking place all over the world. I recommend this idea the most after doing research and a PMI analysis table.

By listening to Japanese researchers that have identified a bacteria that eats polyethylene terephthalate (PET) , a kind of plastic widely employed for bottles. Ideonella sakaiensis is a bacterium from the genus Ideonella and family comamonadaceae capable of breaking down and consuming the plastic. Well, nature has beaten us to it again. It has taken just 70 years for evolution to throw up a bacterium capable of breaking down and consuming PET, one of the world’s most problematic plastic pollutants. The bacteria spits PET into two substances from which it is manufactured and that are not harmful to the environment. The bacteria then digest both substances. This could mean they would be useful for getting rid of polluting plastics in the environment. In my opinion, the governments should up taxes by five per cent. The money will go towards laboratories built all over the world designed to breed this bacteria. After we have collected as much plastic from our oceans, lakes and rivers we will release these bacterias into the landfills where they will consume as much of the plastic as possible. From my research, this bacteria doesn't harm other living organisms.

I think that will be a great idea to get rid of plastics around the world but we still need to find ways to stop plastic entering the ocean. This can be solved by an invention called the Storm X that I believe should widely be enforced. Storm XTM, like garbage nets is engineered to capture gross pollutants and handle powerful stormwater runoff at most urban hot spots. Commercial grade, reusable nets will provide full capture of gross pollutants as small as 5 mm, including organic materials (such as leaves) that could reduce the levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in our water. This economical solution to litter and debris in stormwater runoff is highly effective. To prevent flooding, built-in overflows allow heavy runoff to flow unimpeded. None of these interventions are a full solution on their own, but they are inspiring and creative ways to begin to address the problem of plastics in our waterways. First off all we need to stop supplying plastic around the world. Some businesses are starting to stop using plastic around the world. Like groceries are stop using plastic bags but there still a problem there because most of their plastics come from consumer items. I did some research on the company my parents buy our soap from realizing that all there products are recyclable. In my opinion we need to put a stop to this crisis and really put the foot down globally. Business that I have searched up should start selling there eco friendly product to other businesses to melt this snowballing crisis.

Conclusion

Overall, microplastics are a major problem for our planet and the effect it has on our oceans. We do not know how much of it makes its way to the oceans and how it behaves once it is in the oceans, both in terms of movement in the ocean and in terms of degradation. We are still researching the chemical effects plastic fragments on the ecosystem. The effect plastic has on humans now is minimal but is starting to increase as the amount of all types of plastic enters the oceans. What we are doing currently is not enough. The solution will come down to us to enforce new methods. What you can do personally is pick up rubbish when you walk past because the standard you walk past is the standard you expect. It our job to clean up your up the mess we have created so that the next generations have can have enjoyable lives.

Bibliography

Works Cited

“20 Reasons Why Plastic Bags Should Be Banned.” Conserve Energy Future, 14 Jan. 2017, www.conserve-energy-future.com/reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned.php.

“7 Ways To Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today.” 7 Ways To Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today, www.oceanicsociety.org/blog/1720/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today.

Carrington, Damian. “Microplastic Pollution Revealed 'Absolutely Everywhere' by New Research.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 Mar. 2019, www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/07/microplastic-pollution-revealed-absolutely-everywhere-by-new-research.

Coghlan, Andy. “Bacteria Found to Eat PET Plastics Could Help Do the Recycling.” New Scientist, www.newscientist.com/article/2080279-bacteria-found-to-eat-pet-plastics-could-help-do-the-recycling/.

Howard, Brian Clark. “A Running List of Action on Plastic Pollution.” A Running List of Action on Plastic Pollution, 11 Jan. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/07/ocean-plastic-pollution-solutions/.

Hugh. “The Effects of Microplastics on Human Health (Facts & Guide).” Get Green Now, 9 Jan. 2019, get-green-now.com/microplastics-health-guide/.

Hugh. “How Do Microplastics Affect The Environment?” Get Green Now, 5 Jan. 2019, get-green-now.com/how-do-microplastics-affect-the-environment/.

“Ideonella Sakaiensis.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideonella_sakaiensis.

“Marine Litter and Microplastics.” Marine Litter: 3. What Are Micro-Plastics and How Do They Enter the Marine Environment?, www.greenfacts.org/en/marine-litter/l-2/3-micro-plastics.htm#0.

RMcIntyre. “How Does Plastic End up in the Ocean?” WWF, WWF, 17 Apr. 2018, www.wwf.org.uk/updates/how-does-plastic-end-ocean.

staff, Science X. “Do Microplastics Harm Humans?” Phys.org, Phys.org, 6 Feb. 2019, phys.org/news/2019-02-microplastics-humans.html.