Materials News
Not smooth sailing in Asia’s troubled polluted waters Industrial pollution, a murky consequence of Asia’s urbanisation and growing economies, is taking a toll on the region’s environment. Can Asia swim above its waste management problem, asks Angelica Buan in this report.
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major concern these days is the alarming levels of marine litter. An estimated 150 million tonnes of waste plastics, with as much as 12.7 milliontonne more being added every year, end up in the oceans worldwide. Poor solid waste management, worsened by inadequate infrastructure and lack of environmental awareness, are culpable to the rising rates. Tap water – a cocktail of microplastics Marine pollution has grown so severe that microplastics are not only invading marine life but also contaminating tap water, according to a recent scientific study, Invisibles: The Plastic Inside Us, which says 83% of tap water samples collected from various countries contained microplastics. Some 159 half-litre drinking water samples were collected from 14 countries: Cuba, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Slovakia, Switzerland, Uganda, UK, and the US. The study, conceived by US-based non-profit digital newsroom, Orb Media, was designed by the State University of New York and the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health. The researchers also found fibres in some major bottled water brands sold in the US, likewise adding that these fibres are likely contaminating food items, including baby formula.
A new scientific study found that 83% of tap water samples collected from various countries contained microplastics
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Molly Bingham, Founder/CEO of Orb Media explained that it is not known how these microplastics reach taps or what the health risks might be. “Microplastics have been shown to absorb toxic chemicals from the marine environment and then release them when consumed by fish and mammals. At the very least, I hope that our work triggers large scale, global research on plastic contamination and the ramifications for human health, particularly that of children,” she said. The study pointed out the sources of microplastics: synthetic fibres from clothes in a wash; tyre dust or styrene butadiene particles washed into sewers and into waterways like streams, rivers and oceans. Furthermore, cars and trucks emit more than 20 g of tyre dust for every 100 km; while paint from road markings, ships and homes contribute to more than 10% of microplastic pollution. Meanwhile, secondary microplastics come from improperly managed plastic utensils, straws, takeaway containers as well as synthetic airborne fibres and microbeads from cosmetics. Asia, major culprit of leaky plastics Asia’s rapid economic growth is causing a tidal wave of pollution, given that an estimated 70% of the region’s population lives along coastal areas and nearby fringes of waterways, which is required for agriculture and fishing – two major livelihoods. Rising industrialisation is also spurring near-shore developments. Urbanisation and changing lifestyles are rallying behind the outstretched use of plastics as a material for packaging, consumer and lifestyle goods. Five countries in Asia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, were found to be major sources of plastic wastes entering the ocean, stated the McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment and Ocean Conservancy report, Stemming the Tide – Landbased strategies for a plastic-free ocean. The report indicated that intervention through coordinated action must be enforced and when that happens, global leakage of plastic waste could be reduced by 45% by 2025. For this reason, the five nations cited in the report made a pledge during the United Nations’ Ocean Conference, held recently in New York, to initiate efforts to prevent plastic leakage.