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Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long and typically far smaller than that. They come from a variety of sources, often from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. There are also microbeads, which are tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added to various health and beauty products. Tiny bits of plastic easily pass through filtration systems and end up in the ocean and other bodies of water.

Microplastics are a pervasive problem for which nowhere on Earth is truly untouched. Despite stringent regulations on materials entering Antarctica, scientists have discovered microplastics in the snow near some of the deep field camps there.

A study by the British Antarctic Survey made use of a new and advanced technique that can detect microplastics as small as 11 microns – about the size of a red blood cell.

The research team found microplastics at concentrations ranging from 73 to 3,099 particles per liter of snow.

Snow samples from three different sites identified polyamide (used in textiles), polyethylene terephthalate (found in bottles and packaging), polyethylene, and synthetic rubber. The results suggest that at least the polyamide, which accounted for half the microplastics found, came from local sources.

Additional research is needed to fully understand the sources of microplastic pollution in Antarctica and to understand the broader implications of microplastics in that frozen wilderness. Microplastics have already been detected in several penguin, seal, and fish species.

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Microplastics discovered in Antarctica

Photo, posted February 3, 2015, courtesy of Christian Stangl via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Plastic pollution is a growing problem for people and for the environment in multiple ways. When plastics break down over time, they can form small particles called microplastics – bits smaller than sesame seeds – and these, in turn, can break down into even smaller pieces called nanoplastics. They are too small to be seen with the naked eye and can enter the body’s cells and tissues.

Recent studies have shown that nanoplastics are increasingly showing up in bottled water. In fact, measurements on several popular brands of bottled water found an average of nearly a quarter million tiny pieces of plastic in a single liter of bottled water.

The health effects of ingesting all of this plastic are not really known, but they are unlikely to be anything good. Finding a way of avoiding this contamination of the beverages we drink is a pressing need.

Researchers at the University of Missouri have created a new liquid-based solution that eliminates more than 98% of microscopic plastic particles from water. The method makes use of water-repelling solvents made from safe, non-toxic natural ingredients. A small amount of this designer solvent absorbs plastic particles from a large volume of water.

The solvent sits on the water’s surface. When mixed with the water, it absorbs the plastic and eventually comes back to the surface carrying the plastic leaving behind clean, plastic -free water.

Ultimately, the hope is to scale up the process so it can be applied to increasingly large amounts of water – even lakes and, eventually, oceans. There is work to be done, but it is a potential way to address an increasingly worrisome and pervasive form of pollution.

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Mizzou scientists achieve more than 98% efficiency removing nanoplastics from water

Photo, posted August 9, 2012, courtesy of Enid Martindale via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Microplastics in Antarctica

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Removing nanoplastics from water

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