269,000 tons of contaminated plastic floated on the ocean

A recent study found that nearly 269,000 tons of contaminated plastics are floating in the world's oceans, 10 times more serious than previously estimated.

According to a research team from the Five Gyres Institute of America, contaminated plastics are present throughout the oceans, but the world lacks data about them - especially in the Southern Hemisphere and remote places.

To more accurately estimate the total number of plastic pieces and their weights on the oceans, this group used data from 24 expeditions over the past six years on Australian oceans, coastal areas, Bay of Bengal and the Sea Sea. China.

According to recent research, 269,000 tons of contaminated plastics are floating in the world's oceans, damaging the entire food chain - (Photo: Alamy)

They found up to 5.25 thousand billion pieces of plastic floating in the oceans, with nearly 75% of them coming from large plastic objects such as buoys, buckets and other fishing gear.

Given the volume of this plastic is equivalent to 269,000 tons, the number that researchers say is "the minimum estimate" , the actual number is many times higher, and they have been causing many risks. for the entire marine ecosystem.

According to National Geographic, everyday waste from plastic bags to bottles of mineral water has been thrown into the oceans for decades. Most of them then land on the coast or "settle" in one of the ocean subtropical swirls - a large system of currents formed by global wind models.

These objects are then decomposed into tiny particles, threatening the lives of many marine animals - from small invertebrates to large mammals, if they are swallowed. People will also be affected by eating contaminated fish.

The study was published on December 10 in the journal PLOS One.