By Mark Patrick Taylor, Neda Sharifi Soltani and Scott P. Wilson Australians are eating and inhaling significant numbers of tiny plastics at home, our new research shows. These “microplastics,” which are derived from petrochemicals extracted from oil and gas products, are settling in dust around the house. Some of these particles are toxic to humans […]
By Alexandra McInturf and Matthew Savoca Trillions of barely visible pieces of plastic are floating in the world’s oceans, from surface waters to the deep seas. These particles, known as microplastics, typically form when larger plastic objects such as shopping bags and food containers break down. Researchers are concerned about microplastics because they are minuscule, […]
By Alex Truelove We’re all culprits in the plastic pollution crisis — and that’s by design. I was reminded of this recently when I ordered a set of carbon filters for my countertop compost bin. (Like most people, I don’t care for smelly kitchens.) The package arrived in a layered-plastic bubble envelope. Inside I found […]
By Kasra Zarei Microplastic particles exposed to freshwater or saltwater environments are more likely than original, non-exposed particles to be taken up into an animal’s cells, according to new research. The study offers new evidence that certain microplastics have more potential to infiltrate animals’ bodies than previously thought – and this could be of particular […]
Apparently, there ain’t no mountain high enough to keep away the twin pressures of plastic pollution and the climate crisis. A series of newly-published studies based on a National Geographic expedition to Mount Everest in 2019 provide a shocking picture of how human activity is impacting the highest point from sea level on Earth. One […]
The process of preparing and mixing a baby bottle formula seems innocuous, but new research finds this common occurrence is actually releasing millions of microplastic particles from the bottle’s lining, Wired reported. Microplastics are particles that are smaller than five millimeters long. Sterilizing and mixing formula may also release trillions of nanoplastic particles, which are […]
A new study from the University of California at Santa Barbara has found that synthetic clothes released about 4,000 metric tons of plastic microfibers into California’s environment in 2019. For context, that’s about 80 million plastic rubber ducks in California, or 130,000 times as many stars as there are in the Milky Way galaxy, The […]
Glitter may add sparkle to the holiday season, but its afterlife is decidedly less shiny. The festive coating and arts-and-crafts staple is actually another type of microplastic — those pesky plastics five millimeters or less in diameter that end up everywhere from Arctic ice to the bellies of sharks. “Glitter might look lovely but, because […]
Microplastics can be found everywhere from Antarctica to the Pyrenees. A significant amount of plastic waste ends up in the ocean, but very little has been known about how much ends up on the ocean floor — until now. A new study has found that the ocean floor contains nearly 15.5 tons of microplastics, CNN […]
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