(USDA July 13, 2023) Treating and recycling used municipal water for irrigation is not a new concept, but there may be an unforeseen consequence with that practice: Microplastics. These tiny bits of post-consumer refuse make their way into the sewage system. Microplastics are a result of wear and tear that breaks off tiny pieces of […]
Irrigating with Microplastics May Sprout Antimicrobial Resistance Read More »
(PNAS July 26, 2023) In 2010, a team of marine scientists based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, began dipping fine mesh nets into the sea in the middle of the North Atlantic. As each net skimmed the ocean surface, it amassed tiny plastic remains from far-off shores. When the researchers viewed their catch under a scanning
Is the “plastisphere” spreading infectious disease? Read More »
(Natural History Museum 3/3/2023) Plastic is everywhere, and has become so common that it is impacting the health of animals and people. New research now shows that seabirds are suffering from a plastic-induced illness named ‘plasticosis’. A new disease has been described in seabirds, but it might just be the tip of the iceberg. Rather
Plasticosis: a new disease caused by plastic that is affecting seabirds Read More »
(BBC.com 1/3/2023) Plastic pollution is one of the defining legacies of our modern way of life, but it is now so widespread it is even finding its way into fruit and vegetables as they grow. In 2022, analysis by the Environmental Working Group, an environmental non-profit, found that sewage sludge has contaminated almost 20 million
Microplastics are infiltrating food Read More »
Mechanism for breaching the blood-brain barrier described for the first time (Medical University Vienna 4/21/2023) Among the biggest environmental problems of our time, micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPs) can enter the body in various ways, including through food. And now for the first time, research conducted at MedUni Vienna has shown how these minute particles
Tiny plastics found in brain Read More »
(IFL Science April 28,2023) A new trial has shown that inhalation of plastic at moderate levels could impact sex hormones, with exposure to micro- and nanoparticles (MNPs) of nylon having a significant disruptive effect in female rats. The study indicates that it is not necessarily newer additives that could be disrupting hormone levels, but in
Microplastics Could Be Disrupting Sex Hormones Read More »
This fantastic database is a repository for microplastics toxicity data for the California Microplastics Health Effects Workshop. The web application allows users to explore toxicity data using an intuitive interface while retaining the diversity and complexity inherent to microplastics. Data is extracted from existing, peer-reviewed manuscripts containing toxicity data pertaining to microplastics. A full length
Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer, Aquatic Organisms Database Read More »
(Bridge Michigan) As a lifelong West Michigan resident and avid beach walker whose hometown draws its drinking water from Lake Michigan, Arthur Hirsch has always loved spending time along the Great Lakes. That’s how he spotted something worrying in the water three summers ago. Thousands of plastic pellets littered the beach’s sandy shore, just a
Scientists warn of health impacts as Great Lakes plastic pollution grows Read More »
(DailyMail.co.uk) Health fears as experts find roast dinner can contain up to 230,000 particles. It’s a meal families traditionally enjoy tucking into at Sunday lunchtime. But experts have now found that a roast dinner can contain a staggering 230,000 microplastic particles. Researchers said eating a similar meal every day would result in swallowing the equivalent of
Roast dinner and all the microplastic trimmings Read More »
(Web MD 10/28/22) You eat a credit card’s worth of plastic in a week. That may bother you. But does it harm you? The answer depends on who you ask. Awareness of microplastics in general is certainly increasing; the most recent news is the detection of microplastics in human breast milk. Other research has suggested that
Microplastics and Health Risks: What Do We Really Know? Read More »
