When we talk about marine
debris, and in particular plastic, the first thing that comes to mind for many
people, is plastic bags and bottles. We have, in our efforts to reduce plastic
use, have focused a great deal on these larger, more visible items. But they
are not the only, nor necessarily the biggest, threat to the marine environment
when it comes to plastic. Microplastics, nearly invisible to the naked eye and
estimated to number over 5 trillion pieces are now considered a major issue.
Before we discuss microplastics however, let’s recap on some important facts
about plastic.
- In 2014, the amount of
plastic created reached a record 314
million tons, a whopping 38% increase on the figures for 2014 (Plastic
Oceans, 2015)
- Estimations of plastic
waste reaching the oceans is between 4.8
and 12.7 million metric tons annually (Shim and Thomposon 2015,
Wang et al 2016)
- Significant increases
in the quantities of plastic in the North Pacific gyre and waters near the
British Isles have been recorded between 1972 and 2010 (Wang et al 2016)
- Plastic is resistant to biological degradation and
instead fragments into smaller pieces, never truly disappearing (Shah et al 2008, Webb et al
2012)
Microplastics; what are they?
Any piece of plastic that
measure below 5mm in size are considered a microplastic (Li et al 2015, Shim and
Thomposon 2015, Wang et al 2016). They are the most common type of plastic found in the
oceans (numerically), accounting for 92% of the total number of plastic
particles (5.25 trillion) or 13% of the total weight (Shim and Thomposon 2015).
There are two types of
microplastic; Primary and (you guessed it) Secondary. Primary microplastics (sometimes called microbeads) are
those that were purposefully created by humans for a reason. Those reasons
could be for your facial scrub or cleanser type things, sand-blasting equipment
or shower-gel stuff. Secondary microplastics on the other hand, come into
existence through the fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic (through human
breakages and UV light deterioration) (Shim and Thomposon 2015,
Wang et al 2016)
These tiny little pieces of
plastic can make their way into our marine environment through many different
ways. Secondary are commonly born in the ocean, as lost plastic waste endlessly
floats in the ocean it fragments under the sun’s UV rays. Primary microplastics
find their way into the ocean through long migratory journeys. Some will be a
result of poorly managed waste disposal or clean ups, whilst others (the
cleansers) are so small they can be washed down the plughole and slip through
every type of water treatment, straight into the sea. You have undoubtedly heard
the saying ‘all rivers flow to the sea’, and this is true (albeit with some
rerouting), so any plastic that reaches the ocean, especially microplastics,
are likely to find their way there one day.
The Big Blue
What is next for these baby
microplastics as they set out to explore the massive expanse of the ocean? Will
they float aimlessly for eternity, drifting wherever the currents take them? Or
will they sink down to the depths and become one with the sediment? Or, maybe
choose to join the food chain and find themselves eaten? There is a lot of
research that discusses the behaviour of microplastics in the ocean, but simply
put, they can be split into three categories; Physical, Chemical and
Biological.
Physical behaviour relates to
their movement in the water, this could be through migration with the currents,
or accumulation in one of the massive mid-ocean gyres and even sinking and
resting with the sediment at the bottom (Wang et al 2016). On its own, the physical behaviour of microplastics doesn’t
really present any concerns or problems with regards to environmental or health
issues. However when we couple it with chemical and biological behaviour, it is
a different story.
Chemical behaviour relates,
primarily, for plastic to undergo chemical changes or absorption of chemicals.
As already mentioned, ‘natural’ fragmentation or degradation of plastic can
happen, though slowly (even slower in the ocean). This processes, which takes
place when plastic is exposed to the suns UV rays, are called ‘photo-oxidative’
and ‘thermos-oxidative’ reactions and result in the polymer (plastics) to
change its properties (strength, colour and shape) (Wang et al 2016)
As plastics are broken down
into smaller and smaller pieces, the available surface area for a process of
absorption increases, which in turn increases the rate of absorption. Research
has shown the plastics are veritable sponges when it comes to absorbing
chemicals. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are contaminants that remain in
the environment for prolonged periods and can remain a threat to humans and
wildlife. Some examples of potential POPs that can be absorbed include
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and
Dichlorodiphenylytrichloethane (DDT) (Wang et al 2016, Webb et al
2012).
- There are approximately
100 PAHs out there that are released
from burning coal, gas, trash, tobacco, wood and other organic materials. Needless
to say, some of these are anticipated to be carcinogens and have been linked to
lung, liver and skin cancers (US National Library of Medicine 2015).
- PCBs are man-made organics. They were banned
in 1979, but before that were used in products of wide variety (plastics, floor
finish, oil, transformers and cable insulation to name a few). During their
manufactor and from poor waste management, PCBs leached into the environment
and once there, they don’t break down much (persistent!). They have been shown
to cause cancer as well as issues with immune, reproductive and nervous
systems. So these are bad (EPA, 2013)
- DDT is probably more
commonly known and was used as a pesticide until it was banned in many
countries. Whilst it hasn’t been shown to cause reproductive or birth defects
in humans, tests on animals found some species were susceptible to harm. Whilst
humans exposed to it have claimed nausea, confusion, headache, vomiting and
fatigue all occur (National Pesticide Information Center, 1999)
The ability for plastic to absorb these harmful chemicals may at first seem like a good thing, a way to get them out of the environment. However, due to the size of the microplastics, and the ease marine species have in ingesting them (even down to plankton!) it is concerning for the health of our oceans and ourselves. Plastic has the ability to absorb and concentrate chemcials, but in our bodies they have the ability to release them and store them in our tissue and fats. If we consider bioaccumulation or biomagnification, we can understand that as we ascend the food chain, the amounts of chemicals increases (based on the number of little fish the bigger fish has to eat, it accumulates chemicals from each of them. This is one of the reasons science says to avoid eating a lot of fish (Tuna!) more than once a week. Mercury and other chemicals are found in higher and higher concentrations which can result in poor health, birth defects and cancers; both for ourselves and life in the oceans. Basically put, our use of plastic is poisoning ourselves and the oceans.
So, in conclusion, we know that
macro and microplastics are commonplace in the ocean, increasing annually and
migrating across huge expanses of ocean. We know that microplastics are really
small and easily ingestible by even the smallest of marine life and that
because of this, they are more and more commonly found within the food chain,
up to the top predators. We know that microplastics can absorb harmful
chemicals and metals, which they store and can then release into body tissues
and fats. We know that these chemicals can accumulate within species, and
magnify as they move up the trophic level (food web). We know that getting
microplastics out of the ocean is a huge challenge that is almost impossible
due to the size of nets we’d have to use to collect them catching literally
everything.
We also know how we can change
this. The choices we make on a daily basis can influence the levels of plastic
reaching the oceans. Here is a small list of things you can do to make a
difference:
- Don't buy needlesslypackaged items; there is never a need for a plastic wrapped banana
- Always check your
shower gels and facial scrubs for the ingredients; Polyethylene, Polypropylene,
polyethylene terephthalate, polymethlyl methacrylate or nylon. It is all
plastic!
- Pick up plastic trash
when you see it on the floor and dispose of properly
- Stop using ‘single-use’
plastic and start carrying reusable bags and bottles
- Campaign to have
microbeads banned in your local state (a la California)
- Volunteer with local
NGOs working against waste
Help us help you. Change the
World.
The Blue Temple Team
Bibliography
Li J, Yang D, Li L, Jabeen K and Shi H (2015) Microplastics
in commercial bivalves from China. Environmental Pollution. Elsevier Ltd
207: 190–195. Available at:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0269749115300658.
Shah
AA, Hasan F, Hameed A and Ahmed S (2008) Biological degradation of plastics: A
comprehensive review. Biotechnology Advances 26(3): 246–265.
Shim
WJ and Thomposon RC (2015) Microplastics in the Ocean. Archives of
Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Springer US 69(3): 265–268.
Available at: "http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0216-x.
Wang
J, Tan Z, Peng J, Qiu Q and Li M (2016) The behaviors of microplastics in the
marine environment. Marine Environmental Research. Elsevier Ltd 113:
7–17. Available at:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0141113615300659.
Webb
H, Arnott J, Crawford R and Ivanova E (2012) Plastic Degradation and Its
Environmental Implications with Special Reference to Poly (ethylene
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