A study found that fish living near urban areas had more microplastics in their bodies than fish living in rural areas, Phys.org reported.
what’s happening?
The media said New Zealand researchers had collected adult stingrays from three locations around Dunedin, a city of about 130,000 people on the country’s South Island.
They found that fish collected 1.6 miles (2.5 km) and 6.2 miles (10 km) from the city centre had ingested significantly more microplastics than fish collected 15.5 miles (25 km) away. In fact, fish collected from the furthest site, a rural area called Purakanui, ingested 8.5 times less plastic than the site closest to the city centre, and 6.3 times less plastic than the rest of Port Chalmers.
Overall, fish collected near the city centre and Port Chalmers had much higher amounts of microplastics in their guts compared to other commercial fish species studied in New Zealand.
“The concentrations of microplastics in the sediments here in Otago, and those ingested by Otago fish, are comparable to those in the highly polluted Venetian Lagoon,” study director Associate Professor Sheri Johnson told Phys.org. “We need to better understand why microplastic concentrations are so high in Otago’s sediments and marine life.”
Why is this study a concern?
The study adds to a growing body of research detailing the prevalence of microplastics in our environment. For example, one study found that the tiniest microplastics (less than 53 micrometres in size) are the most prevalent contaminants in our oceans.
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Many of the common plastic chemicals contained in these microplastics have been found to cause harmful effects when ingested by marine life. These tiny plastic particles make their way up the food chain into humans via seafood, and we also inhale and ingest them through other sources like water, beer, and salt. In fact, one study found that the average adult ingests around 2,000 microplastic particles per year from salt alone.
While the full health impacts of microplastics are not yet known, there is evidence they may be linked to a range of lung diseases, serious pregnancy complications, dementia and other illnesses.
What is being done about microplastics?
Reducing plastic use is essential if we want to reduce the amount of microplastics polluting the environment. Some governments, such as the UK and France, have already banned the use of plastic cutlery for most fast food and takeaway meals. Additionally, Los Angeles has banned styrofoam takeaway containers and California has banned plastic produce bags in grocery stores.
Meanwhile, scientists are finding new ways to break down plastic, such as using hungry wax worms, and alternatives to plastic are also gaining attention.
You can contribute by reducing your use of plastic at home and investing in reusable items like metal razors and non-plastic sandwich bags.
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