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Environmental

Study finds plastic pollution in 88% of the surface of the seas

02/07/2014

This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.

 




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2008 photo shows debris in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii (AP Photo / NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center) 

Up to 88% of the surface of the oceans of the world is contaminated with plastic waste, raising concern about the effects on marine life and the food chain, scientists said on Monday (30).

The plastic mass produced products for toys, bags, food containers and utensils to arrive washed away by rain, a problem that is expected to worsen in coming decades seas.

The findings, published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" ("PNAS"), are based on more than 3000 ocean samples collected around the world by a scientific expedition in 2010.

"Ocean currents carry plastic objects that break into smaller fragments due to solar radiation," said the director of research, Andrés Cozar, University of Cádiz, Spain.

"These little pieces of plastic, known as micro-plastics, can last hundreds of years and were detected in 88% of the ocean surface examined during the Malaspina Expedition 2010," he added.

The scientists assessed that the total amount of plastic in the oceans of the world - between 10 000 and 40 000 tonnes - is currently lower than previous estimates. However, raised new concerns about the fate of both plastic, particularly the smaller pieces.

The study revealed that the fragments of plastic, "between a few microns and a few millimeters in size, are underrepresented in samples from the surface of the sea."

More research is needed to find out where these particles are going and what effects they have on marine life.

"These microplastic influence the behavior and the food chain of marine organisms," said Cozar. "But probably the most related to plastic pollution in the oceans impacts is not known," he concluded.


Source: G1

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