[FREE REPORT] Be alert, for there is a New Form of Plastic Pollution That Looks like Rocks!by Rosa Domingos | 28-08-2019 17:35 |
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 We find plastic everywhere. It has reached the Antarctic Ocean, it's at Earth's highest peak, and its deepest fissure. And yet, the extent of this insidious plague can still take us by surprise. According to new research, plastic has now turned up camouflaged as ordinary pebbles (Starr, 2019).  (Turner et al., Science of the Total Environment, 2019) These small chunks of plastic - known as pyroplastics - are created when plastic is heated as part of the manufacturing process, or when pieces of plastic are melted by unknown processes in the environment. These are then weathered in much the same way as rocks, shedding microplastic as the imitation pebbles are abraded by sand and sea. Because they look so much like rocks, these pyroplastics may have escaped our notice all over the world...Think about that for a second... They are in a similar context to what scientist call "plastiglomerates" found in Hawaii - these are chunks of plastic mixed with sand and shells, melted together by campfires. The only difference is that pyroplastics were almost pure plastic. Pyroplastics are evidently formed from melting or burning of plastic and are distinctly different from manufactured (primary and secondary) marine plastics in terms of origin, appearance and thickness (Starr, 2019). Because pyroplastics have been retrieved from Atlantic beaches in Spain and Pacific beaches of Vancouver, they are not a regional phenomenon, and it is suspected that their distribution may have widespread but that documentation is lacking because not enough research has been done on it. As if that's not bad enough, these plastics could even be leaching lead into the environment. Research done on samples collected from Spain revealed that the samples were mostly either polyethylene (commonly used in plastic bags and packaging), polypropylene (hard plastic commonly used for packaging and containers), or a combination of both (Starr, 2019).
(Turner et al., Science of the Total Environment, 2019) But it was X-ray fluorescence analysis that revealed the presence of lead - often accompanied by chromium. Is is used to give plastic a yellow/orange or red colour. The concerning portion comes in where some samples revealed to adhere with the calcium carbonate tubes of the marine worm Spirobranchus triqueter. Lead was found in these wormy tubes! This suggests, the researchers said, that compounds in the plastic could be at least partially bioavailable or in other terms, capable of entering living bodies (Starr, 2019). If that is true, then the lead in the plastic can be absorbed by the worms, and then evetually in the worms' excrement, or passed on to the worms' predators. And we all know that this will only go up the food chain in toxic concentrations! I believe we need more research to be conducted in order to determine how much of this camouflaged plastic is hiding in plain sight. Only then can we accurately gauge how much microplastic and dangerous compounds they're releasing into the environment. Reference list: Starr., M. 2019. Oh Great, There's a New Form of Plastic Pollution That Looks Exactly Like Rocks. [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-discovered-a-form-of-plastic-pollution-that-looks-exactly-like-rocks. Aug 19, 2019. Accessed: Aug 28, 2019. |
