Drinking water is supposed to be good for you, but what happens when you diligently carry that disposable water bottle around all day, to remind yourself to take a sip? With that sip, you take in an undue amount of plastic, according to recent research. And that’s not all. Takeout cartons, shelf-stable wrapping, those water […]
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 […]
A research team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC), Berkeley has found a way to make biodegradable plastics actually disappear. While biodegradable plastics have been touted as a solution to plastic pollution, in practice they don’t work as advertised. “Biodegradability does not equal […]
Scientists consider plastic pollution one of the “most pressing environmental and social issues of the 21st century,” but so far, microplastic research has mostly focused on the impact on rivers and oceans. However, a new study from researchers at Cornell and Utah State University highlights the increasing threat of airborne microplastics “spiraling around the globe,” […]
By Andrew Blok Great Lakes algae is catching huge amounts of microplastics. Researchers found that one type of algae, which has greatly expanded its range within the Great Lakes and is one of the most abundant algae by weight there, could catch up to one trillion pieces of microplastic in the Great Lakes. “It’s just […]
By Jack McGovan In 1931, Soviet scientists were on the hunt for a natural source of rubber that would help the USSR become self-sufficient in key materials. They scoured the vast and various territories of the Soviet Union and tested over 1,000 different species looking for an alternative to the South American rubber tree, Hevea […]
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 […]
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