Ocean plastic has made a big splash, but there may be even more microplastic on land. The problem is that we have no idea exactly how much is in Australian soil, where it is, and what it’s doing.
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Articles on Microplastics
Displaying 101 - 120 of 121 articles
How to cut down on toxic chemicals found in common household products.
Ocean plastic has gained notoriety, but we’re starting to realize that microplastics pollute our freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems too.
The technology underlying Bitcoin is starting to spread its wings.
Plastics and microplastics in the marine environment are one of the great cause célèbre of our era. Here’s what we know and don’t know.
Summer may have come to an official end, but the plastics from your bathers might still be at the beach!
Plant-based, sustainable plastics may hold many of the answers to our plastic problems.
Every festival in Australia sends countless bits of glitter down the drain (and into the ocean). But you can still shine on – in bio-glitter.
The science is clear but to improve plastic literacy, we need the arts. Here’s why.
Microbeads from cosmetics are just a drop in the ocean. Other microplastics are more pervasive and just as dangerous.
Once unleashed, glitter gets everywhere – not just in your house, but into the environment. Time to call a halt to the glitter explosion.
We should look instead at the successful fight to save the ozone layer.
Taxing plastic takeaway boxes will help to reduce the massive amount of plastic which is dumped into the oceans.
Research suggests much drinking water contains plastic microparticles.
Tiny fibres from washing machines are being eaten by a multitude of marine species.
Plastics pose a major threat to seabirds and other animals, and most don’t ever break down - they just break up. Every piece of petrochemical-derived plastic ever made still exists on the planet.
Microfibres and microplastics are a massive problem for marine life. Once ingested, they
severely affect marine animals ability to eat. There’s also concerns about their toxicity.
Waste plastic affects marine life significantly but better education and recyclable plastics could go a long way in resolving this issue.
Dave West from the environmental group Boomerang Alliance told Fairfax that if you’ve got an average seafood diet in Australia, you’re probably ingesting about 11,000 plastic pieces a year. Is that right?
New method tallies microplastics in southern oceans, yielding a total that’s 37 times higher than previous estimates.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Ornithology, Charles Sturt University
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Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto
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Associate Professor in Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton
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Professor in Forensic and Environmental Science, Staffordshire University
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Research Chair, Indigenous Approaches to Environmental Management, Keele University
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Professor of Sustainable Development, Keele University
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Research Director, Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP); Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University
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Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University
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Senior Lecturer in Sustainability and the Built Environment, University of Portsmouth
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Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability, University of Portsmouth
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Senior Principal Research Scientist, Environment, CSIRO
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Professor of Environmental Toxicology, Heriot-Watt University
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PhD Student, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto
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Research Professor Ecotoxicology, North-West University
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Professor of Ocean Policy and Economy, University of Portsmouth
