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Special Theme
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Plastic, the Villain of the Century
Microplastics – it’s not just about the environment Microplastics are everywhere – in our waters, in our food and, new research shows, even in our blood. The good news is, however, that if we stop polluting our environment with plastic waste, improvements could be seen within a lifetime. BY SIGNE HANSEN
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PHOTOS: NATURBEADS
It is rare to find something that everyone can agree on, but that microplastics are bad is one such rarity. The result of fragmented larger plastic items and products such as plastic microbeads, microplastics have infiltrated every part of our environment. Recently, a study by scientists at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands shocked the world by proving that even the blood from 17 out of 22 anonymous blood donors contained different kinds of plastic particles. This comes as no great surprise to Win Cowger, an environmental scientist at the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, a non-profit organisation in California. Specialising in the transport and fate of trash in watersheds and river flow, Cowger has made it his cause to make data on microplastics more accessible through online hubs for plastic pollution research. “It is essential for us to understand the problem and be informed about the risk; if there is no data accessible, I don’t know if I am being exposed to mi38 |
Issue 02 |
April 2022