3.7 Sleet. The Dangers of Microplastics

3.7 Sleet. The Dangers of Microplastics 33

Figure 2: Kuwaitian Land

References

[1] International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The Environmental Impacts of the Gulf War 1991. 2004. URL: http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/ id/eprint/7427/. [2] CCK. Oil Well Fires in Kuwait. Nov. 2018. URL: https : / / cck - law . com / blog / oil - well fires- in- kuwait/. [3] Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training.

Towering Infernos – The Kuwait Oil Fires. URL: https : / / adst . org / 2016 / 04 / towering infernos- the- kuwait- oil- fires/. [4] The Guardian. ‘Gushing oil and roaring fires’: 30 years on Kuwait is still scarred by catastrophic pollution. Dec. 2021. URL: https : / / www . theguardian . com / environment / 2021 / dec / 11 / the - sound - of - roaring - fires - is still - in - my - memory - 30 - years - on - from kuwaits- oil- blazes (cited on page 32). [5] Oceana. Mangrove Forest. URL: https : / / oceana . org / marine - life / mangrove forest/. [6] Taylor & Francis Online. Bioremediation of oilcontaminated soil in Kuwait. I. landfarming to remediate oil-contaminated soil. Dec. 2008. URL: https : / / www . tandfonline . com / doi / abs / 10 . 1080 / 15320389609383528 ? journalCode=bssc19.

3.7 The Dangers of Microplastics

By Lorin Sleet ’22

Microplastics, defined as extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste, are significant causes of pollution and environmental damage. For example, they can affect marine ecology and cause water pollution. However, their full impact on the environment and ecosystems is still under study.

The first documentations of marine plastic debris, found in the Sargasso Sea, were published in the journal of Science in 1972 [1]. In 1996, Captain Charles Moore discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” located in the middle of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre [3]. However, it was not until 2004 that Richard Thompson, a professor of marine biology from the University of Plymouth, UK, coined the term “microplastic” and called for more research to be done on the subject. Following his call to action, the scientific evidence regarding contamination, fate, and effects of plastic debris in the oceans increased at an exponential rate. The crisis was introduced to the public and popularized two years later in 2006, when a five-part series called Altered Oceans by Ken Weiss of the Los Angeles Times won the Pulitzer prize. His fourth essay in the series, “Plague of Plastic Chokes the Seas,” gave a devastating account of the size and effects of the problem on marine life and birds. Back in 2006, when Ken Weiss wrote the series, an estimated 1 million seabirds and about 100,000 seals, whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals per year choked on or got tangled in plastic nets or other debris. The numbers since then have only grown.

The garbage patch was repeatedly described in articles as being “an island of floating plastic litter twice the size of Texas” [4]. Skeptical of yet intrigued by this claim, Miriam Goldstein at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, along with a group of graduate students, organized an expedition to survey and sample the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2009 [5]. It was the first organized study of the Subtropical Gyre. The group spent three days throwing surface skimming nets into the ocean expecting to dredge up pieces of plastic, but got no significant results. However, on the fourth day, observers on the deck had to call for assistance as thousands of pieces of plastic debris “smaller than a pencil eraser” (< 5 mm in size) came into view. The crew had not brought equipment with the ability to quantify the soup of plastic before them. As they studied their observations upon their return, they advocated for investment into specialized research on quantifying the effect of the pollution in oceans and other waterways

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such as shallow bays, coastal waters, and estuaries. Their findings also demonstrated a need to shift from cleanup to prevention methods to confront the pollution problem.

The full extent of the distribution and impact of microplastics is still being studied. What is known, however, is that microplastics are extremely detrimental to biotic organisms. Plastic is not biodegradable and therefore ends up in oceans where abiotic factors, such as sunlight, begin a process called photodegradation. This process breaks plastic into smaller and smaller particles making it more likely for them to be mistaken by animals as food. Birds such as Albatrosses often mistake plastic resin pellets for fish eggs; in doing so they feed the plastic to their hatchlings who ultimately die of starvation or organ ruptures. Seals and other marine mammals frequently become entangled in discarded fishing nets and drown. This phenomenon is known as “ghost fishing.” The damage is not limited to the deaths of marine animals and birds. The debris also has impacts, more broadly, on the food webs. As trash accumulates within the gyres, due to the shear density, they block out sunlight from reaching the plankton and algae below. This is a cause for concern as plankton and algae are the most common autotrophs in the marine food web, meaning they can produce their own nutrients from carbon and sunlight. As a result of the plankton and algae communities being threatened, there could be major, long-term shifts in the biodiversity of the ocean since they are a keystone species. These dangers are compounded by the fact that plastics absorb and excrete harmful pollutants (density independants) such as colorants and chemicals like PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). PVC has been recognized as a leading inhibitor of chemical cycling, specifically nitrogen’s cycling. Nitrogen is one of the most important limiting nutrients for photosynthetic organisms such as algae and marine bacteria. Should the harmful effects of microplastics in our oceans continue, millions more animals will die and the effect on humans, due to the food web, will progress. It is projected that the continued ingestion of microplastics, due to their toxins, will cause reproductive issues, damage to organs, developmental issues in children and possibly death.

There is no simple solution to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. Attempting to design a net with the capabilities to scoop up such miniscule amounts of plastic would be fruitless. Not only would this mistakenly extract marine life, it is estimated that it would take 67 ships one year to clean less than 1% of the North Pacific Ocean [Sleet-Dangers-5]. As the effect of the pollution is located primarily in bodies of water, the plastics are able to travel with the currents. Therefore setting up nature or zoned reserves would be impossible. Scientists have come to the conclusion that currently the best way to move forward is reducing plastic emissions. Single use Chapter 3. Life Science

plastics have become an integral part of society since the 1950s when the lifestyle “Throwaway Living” trended. From cutlery, straws, plates, cups to packaging, a 2021 estimate showed that the average American throws away approximately 110 pounds of plastic annually. To provide a sustainable solution and reduce plastic pollution, there has been a push to use biodegradable resources in the place of single use resources. While options like compostable cutlery, containers, and straws are available to improve the usage of plastic, they alone cannot reduce plastic emissions. One source of microplastics in the oceans is emission from modern textiles. Our consumerism has promoted the rise of fast fashion: “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends” [2] Textiles, such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic fibers, make up 34.8% of both primary and secondary microplastic pollution, the largest source by far. Approximately 2.2 million tons of microfibers pollute our oceans yearly. Each time laundry is done, nearly 9 million microfibers enter wastewater treatment plants that do not have the facilities to filter the fibers out. As a result the pollution is released into the ocean. There has been a development of home based systems that prevent some of the pollution from being released into the environment. Filtration systems that can remove 97% of microfibers exist, however they are expensive, not widely available, and there is little to no incentive for consumers or larger companies to install these technologies. To achieve such drastic changes it needs to be a collective effort. Both an effort on the part of consumers as well as the plastic industry, waste managers, scientists, and all levels of the government from all over the world to develop and implement sustainable plans for the future. Stricter legislation regarding microplastics is crucial unless the average human prefers to continue ingesting 20 kg of plastic throughout their lifetime, with serious health and environmental repercussions.

References [1] J. Edward Carpenter and K.L. Smith. Plastics on the Sargasso Sea Surface. URL: https : / / www . science . org / doi / abs / 10 . 1126 / science . 175.4027.1240 (cited on page 33). [2] Jambeck Research Group. URL: https : / / tos . org/oceanography/article/the- story- ofplastic - pollution - from - the - distant ocean - gyres - to - the - global - policy stage (cited on page 34). [3] et al Smith Madeleine. Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health. Sept. 2018. URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC6132564/ (cited on page 33).

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[4] National Geographic Society. Great Pacific

Garbage Patch. Oct. 2012. URL: https : / / www . nationalgeographic . org / encyclopedia / great - pacific - garbage - patch/ (cited on page 33). [5] National Geographic Society. Ocean Gyre.

Oct. 2012. URL: https : / / www . nationalgeographic . org / encyclopedia / ocean- gyre/ (cited on page 33).

[6] Kenneth R Weiss. Altered Oceans: Part Four:

Plague of Plastic Chokes the Seas. URL: https : / / www . latimes . com / world / la - me ocean2aug02- story.html.