Plastic particles are acting a magnet for poisons in the ocean, according to a study being carried out by the University of Plymouth. These studies are suggesting that billions of plastic particles are drifting underwater and concentrating the ocean’s pollutants. These seeds of toxic threat are not only being found around the shores of the UK, but also across all 7 continents.
The investigation into how plastic fragments in sea water is also being carried out in Midway USA, with the effects on ocean organisms being closely monitored. If these organisms start to ingest these minuscule particles of plastic, it could pose a potentially devastating toxic threat to the world’s ecological system. Once inside an organism, there is a major risk that the toxins may be transferred into the creature itself, with the chemicals being re-released into the ocean.
The plastic content of the sea is rising. Samples are now showing that high tide sand around British coastlines are carrying as much as a quarter of plastic particles in the total weight measured. This is a worrying amount, especially as the plastic does not fully disintegrate, merely the particles fragment.The US Fish and Wildlife Services spokesperson Matt Brown warns –
“The thing that’s most worrying about the plastic is its durability; it’s not going to go away in our lifetime. If people don’t start to take away their plastic today, it’ll still be here when our grandchildren are walking down our beaches.”
