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Using advanced imaging technology, researchers have ascertained the number of nanoplastics – bits of plastic smaller than a micrometer – in bottled water, finding that, on average, a liter contains 240,000 detectable fragments. The study provides invaluable information to address rising concerns about micro- and nanoplastic toxicity.
Microplastics – ranging from less than a quarter inch (5 mm) down to a micrometer – are formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits. And, in recent years, concerns have been raised that microplastics are showing up literally everywhere on Earth – from the bottom of oceans to the top of mountains.
These plastic particles are consumed by humans and other creatures, with research now looking into the potentially harmful effects of this consumption. However, these studies are predominantly concerned with microplastics. Now, researchers from the Columbia Climate School, New York, have used advances in imaging technology to investigate the ‘spawn’ of microplastics – nanoplastics, less than a micrometer in […]
We kill ourselves with our own pollution, with the rabid backing of the petroleum industry who cares for nothing but short-term profit. With careful research you can see the connections between this pollution and the cutting edge of our culture wars. If we fail to put the environment and our health first we risk extinction as a species. The illness lies within us. Mother Earth will go along without us just fine.