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In 2014, it was estimated that there are between 15 and 51 trillion individual pieces of microplastic in the world's oceans, which was estimated to weigh between 93,000 and 236,000 metric tons. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] [ 26 ] Under the influence of sunlight, wind , waves and other factors, plastic degrades into small fragments known as microplastics, or ...
Humans are exposed to toxic chemicals and microplastics at all stages in the plastics life cycle. The effects of microplastics on human health are a growing concern and an actively increasing area of research.
In 2020 scientists created what may be the first scientific estimate of how much microplastic currently resides in Earth's seafloor, after investigating six areas of ~3 km depth ~300 km off the Australian coast. They found the highly variable microplastic counts to be proportionate to plastic on the surface and the angle of the seafloor slope.
Microplastics have been found in historic soil samples for the first time, according to a new study, potentially upending the way archaeological remains are preserved.
The prevalence of tiny plastic particles, ranging in size from a billionth of a metre to a millionth of a meter, has increased exponentially over the last 50 years, yet their toxic effects on ...
Nylon is first used for bristles in toothbrushes. It features at the 1939 World's Fair and is famously used in stockings in 1940. 1938: Polytetrafluoroethylene (commonly known as teflon), discovered by Roy Plunkett at DuPont. 1941: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is discovered at the Calico Printers' Association in Britain. Expanded ...
The brain is the most well-protected organ in the human body, but it has a surprisingly high amount of microplastic pollution, ... The study did, however, find an increase in micro- and ...
From the start of plastic production through to 2015, the world produced around 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste, only 9% of which has been recycled and only ~1% has been recycled more than once. [108] Of the remaining waste, 12% was incinerated and 79% was either sent to landfills or lost to the environment as pollution. [108]