Study: Far More Plastic Nanowaste In Oceans Than Thought: 27 Million Metric Tons In N. Atlantic Alone
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A new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature estimates that the North Atlantic Ocean alone contains 27 million metric tons of nanoplastic — plastic particles 100 times smaller than the width of a human hair. That figure is 10 times higher than previous estimates of plastic pollution of all sizes across all the world’s oceans, according to the study’s authors.
The research represents one of the first attempts to quantify marine nanoplastic pollution; previous efforts were constrained by limitations in detection technology. The study suggests that the mass of nanoplastics in the North Atlantic is greater than that of their much larger counterparts, microplastics and macroplastics. Microplastics range in width between 0.001 millimeters and 5 millimeters, making them up to 5 million times bigger than nanoplastics. Macroplastics are even larger.
Helge Niemann, a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, a professor of geochemistry at Utrecht University, and one of the study’s authors, said the findings are concerning for marine biology and human health. Nanoplastics are “not conducive, generally, for life,” he told Grist. He emphasized that the study’s findings are limited to the North Atlantic, but said it is “likely the case” that nanoplastics are widespread across other oceans as well.
Studies suggest that nanoplastics cause inflammation to living cells when ingested, though it’s unclear whether this is because of the particles themselves, the plastic chemicals they can release, or pathogens that they pick up while floating around in the environment. Due to their tiny size, nanoplastics can more easily traverse biological membranes than their larger counterparts. Tracey Woodruff, a professor of reproductive health and the environment at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the new research, said she expects that nanoplastics will be linked to many of the same health risks as microplastics. In animals, these include reproductive issues, intestinal problems, and colon and lung cancer. Microplastics also bioaccumulate, meaning they travel up the food chain as larger animals eat smaller ones.
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https://grist.org/science/oceans-contain-more-plastic-than-previously-thought/