
A group of international researchers is supportng the international community to recognise the full extent of plastics’ environmental and health risks and classify them as persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic (PBT) pollutants.
According to the researchers, who published their findings in Environmental Science and Technology, classifying plastics, particularly micro- and nano-sized particles, as PBT pollutants would give governments with the tools they need to successfully control plastic production, consumption, and recycling.
We need to wake up the world and understand the risks of these pollutants.
Dr. Juan José Alava, Study Lead Author and Ocean Researcher, University of British Columbia
Researchers from Canada, Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia participated in the study.
The request comes ahead of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution’s efforts to create a legally binding worldwide pact to combat plastic pollution.
We live in the age of plastic—the Plasticene. There’s plastic everywhere. It is in the ocean, coastal zones, and terrestrial environment. It has been found in animals across the globe, human tissues and organs, and deep in the Mariana Trench—the deepest part of our ocean. They don’t degrade easily, so they last for many, many years.
Dr. Juan José Alava, Study Lead Author and Ocean Researcher, University of British Columbia
Dr. Alava is also the Principal Investigator of UBC’s Institute for Oceans and Fisheries’ Ocean Pollution Research Unit.
Plastics are dangerous because of their popularity, durability, and efficiency; with great durability, lengthy half-lives, and low disintegration rates, plastics can take up to 2,500 years to biodegrade or break down.
Single-use polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles are two examples. Plastic’s global ecological footprint is altering natural processes and endangering the seas if nothing is done.
Plastics can accumulate in all creatures, with aquatic animals being particularly sensitive to micro- and nano-sized particle exposure. These particles are hazardous to marine creatures because they can affect gene and protein expression, trigger inflammatory responses, impede brain development, and slow growth and reproduction rates, all while interfering with appropriate eating and foraging behaviours.
It’s hugely important to remember that it’s not just plastics. Many plastic products contain chemicals that in themselves are known to be persistent, bioaccumulate, and toxic.
Dr. Gunilla Öberg, Study Co-Author, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia
These plastics, which contain additional toxins, have the potential to operate as a “Trojan Horse” in the ocean.
“Organisms often ingest these plastics by mistake, and thus, become carriers of many other chemicals and microorganisms,” says Dr Gabriela V. Aguirre-Martínez, co-author from the Universidad Arturo Prat in Chile.
These particles are sometimes consumed by people through the food they eat. The possible health consequences are still being researched, but the capacity of plastics to accumulate in human tissues and organs is concerning, especially for those living in coastal areas that rely heavily on seafood.
Dr. Alava notes, “Plastic particles have been found in the human placenta, in breast milk, lungs and in the colon. So, the exposure is real. Canada has already banned six types of single-use plastics, but other harmful plastics like PET water plastic bottles need to be eliminated. We need an international effort to really eliminate harmful plastics from the world.”
“This call ahead of the next round of negotiations of the international legally binding instrument for plastic pollution by the United Nations Environment Programme is critical because access is so restricted that very few from civil society or scientists can be present to highlight that this aspect has not yet been given the necessary attention,”
Dr Melanie Bergmann, co-author from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Dr. Alava believes that one day, the ecological footprint will show that mankind have moved away from plastics and towards more biodegradable substitutes and green, ecologically friendly materials.
Dr. Alava concludes, “We should really think about ways we can be ocean leaders, and really have future generations change their perspective on, and consumption of, plastics.”
Source: https://www.ubc.ca/