Shocking discovery: The amount of plastic in the ocean is over a million times larger than estimated

Plastic waste - a crisis on a global scale - is currently estimated that tens of millions of tons more are coming out of the ocean each year, causing serious consequences for ecosystems and species. sea ​​animal.

Besides the visible plastic waste, we also have a danger called "microplastic" - micro plastic particles with the size of only a few micrometres. Although there have been no studies to confirm the specific harm, but micro-plastic particles are extremely easy to get into the food chain when even the plankton tolerates it, which can then end in the human body.

And those terrible numbers turn out to be not final yet. According to the latest assessment of NSF (National Science Foundation of America), the amount of micro-plastic floating in the oceans must actually be millions of times larger than that .

Yes, you did not look wrong. It is 1 million, which means adding 6 more zeros.

Microplastics are extremely easy to get into the food chain when they come to the zooplankton.

Specifically, new research by ocean biologist Jennifer Brandon examined the stomachs of plankton species. The results show that the concentration of microplastics in plankton is extremely high, currently there are 290 million microplastics per cubic meter of water - 7 times higher than previously calculated.

It is known that most types of plastic waste are so strongly linked that bacteria in soil and sea cannot break down . Brandon therefore decided to turn his attention to the plankton - which has a habit of sucking sea water to filter food, thereby making it very easy to have micro-plastic particles in the stomach.

Brandon studied more than 100 plankton samples in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017, and realized they all contained plastic particles inside the stomach. The problem is that the plankton is almost the lowest-level animal in the food chain, so they easily get plastic particles into higher animals - from sea turtles to fish, and then slip into into the human body.

According to Dan Thornhill, director of NSF's Ocean Science division, "Although many people are interested in microplastics, we are still only understanding the scale and its impact on the ocean."

"These are really ominous numbers, especially when the consequences for the environment and human health are almost unknown."

The glitter is extremely thin, which is extremely hard to collect and is very damaging to the environment.

The story of microplastics has been known to the world and has specific warnings, including ban on the use of plastic beads in the production of cosmetics (toothpaste, facial cleanser .). Because of the nature of the plastic, it takes thousands of years to decompose after reaching the ocean.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, even glitter glitter for makeup is gradually banned from production. They are originally made from dyed plastic and coated with aluminum to increase the sparkle. Due to its ultra-thin nature, they are extremely hard to collect, and very harmful to the environment. And if you include glitter in the list, there are currently 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the oceans, millions of times higher than previously estimated.

Plastics will stay there for thousands of years, able to absorb more chemicals and external pollution to make the toxicity even higher. And especially when it comes to the food chain, almost no one can guard because they are too small. According to some recent studies, tap water in developed countries has also appeared glitter content in it.

"There is a real need to change the way plastic is perceived in society: from an extremely popular waste to a more valuable and recyclable material."

1. Detecting microplastics in rainwater, not only is it lying under the sea
2. Detects billions of microplastics in tea bags