Plastic production to hit 1.1 billion tons by 2050: Study raises alarm on health risks from microplastics
23 hours, 58 minutes ago

Plastic production to hit 1.1 billion tons by 2050: Study raises alarm on health risks from microplastics

Hindustan Times  

Tiny plastic particles may be lurking in the air we breathe, and experts are raising alarms about their potential health risks. Rising plastic pollution and its health risks After analysing 3,000 studies, researchers from UC San Francisco suspect that microplastics may negatively impact reproductive, digestive, and respiratory health, possibly linking them to colon and lung cancer. "Microplastics are essentially particulate matter air pollution, and we already know this type of pollution is harmful," said Tracey J. Woodruff, senior study author and UCSF professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences. Research indicates global plastic production could reach 1.1 billion metric tons by 2050. According to the research team, companies around the world produce nearly 460 million metric tons of plastic annually a figure projected to soar to 1.1 billion by 2050.

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History of this topic

Scientists know our bodies are full of microplastics. What are they doing to us?
6 days, 6 hours ago

Scientists know our bodies are full of microplastics. What are they doing to us?

NPR  

Scientists know our bodies are full of microplastics. "It seemed like nobody wanted to touch it," says Leslie, a microplastics researcher in the Netherlands whose team was the first to detect these particles in the human bloodstream several years ago. Sponsor Message Scientists can isolate microplastics, pull them out of human tissue and take pictures, but seeing where they are …

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure

CNN  

Editor’s note: The podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life’s mysteries big and small. “We think of the crinkly polyvinyl chloride plastic that we’re so used to in food packaging, as coming that way just on its own, but phthalates are added to polyvinyl chloride to make it softer.” The additives that …

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure

CNN  

Editor’s note: The podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life’s mysteries big and small. “We think of the crinkly polyvinyl chloride plastic that we’re so used to in food packaging, as coming that way just on its own, but phthalates are added to polyvinyl chloride to make it softer.” The additives that …

Fears hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists could derail crucial plastic pollution summit
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Fears hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists could derail crucial plastic pollution summit

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Allowing fossil fuel and petrochemical companies to exert their influence in these negotiations is like letting foxes guard the …

Can the World Unite to End the Plastic Pollution Crisis?
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Can the World Unite to End the Plastic Pollution Crisis?

Live Mint  

-- The final round of United Nations-brokered talks aimed at tackling plastic pollution are opening in South Korea with deep divisions over the need to stem the rising flood of the material, a rift that threatens to scupper a two-year long quest for a deal. A coalition of nearly 70 nations, including Rwanda, Norway and the UK, is pushing for …

The world is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year
3 months, 2 weeks ago

The world is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year

Associated Press  

The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a new study that also said more than two-thirds of it comes from the Global South. For 15% of the world’s population, government fails to collect and dispose of waste, …

Microplastics found in human brains: Scientists urge global action
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Microplastics found in human brains: Scientists urge global action

New Indian Express  

The widespread use of plastics has led to severe environmental contamination, with microplastics now infiltrating vital human organs, including the brain. A growing body of evidence reveals that these tiny plastic particles—less than 5 millimeters in size—are accumulating in the air, water, food, and even within human tissues. In a recent study, soon to be peer-reviewed and published by the …

Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Dr. Marya Zlatnik, a San …

What can microplastics do to the human body? | In Focus podcast
8 months, 3 weeks ago

What can microplastics do to the human body? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

It’s hard to imagine a world without plastic now – plastic exists in almost every sphere of our life. Microplastics, the tiny toxic particles that plastics shed and that are scattered across the environment have been found everywhere – from clouds, to the bottom of the ocean, in Antarctica and even in our bodies – we swallow them and we …

Chemicals in plastics far more numerous than previous estimates, report says
9 months, 1 week ago

Chemicals in plastics far more numerous than previous estimates, report says

The Hindu  

At least 3,000 more chemicals are in plastics — from food packaging to toys to medical devices — than previously estimated by environmental agencies, a report published on Thursday found, raising questions over pollution and consumer safety. While the United Nations Environment Programme had previously identified around 13,000 plastic chemicals, the report by a team of European scientists found more …

Microplastics may be new risk factor for cardiovascular disease, researchers say
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Microplastics may be new risk factor for cardiovascular disease, researchers say

LA Times  

Add one more likely culprit to the long list of known cardiovascular risk factors including red meat, butter, smoking and stress: microplastics. In a study released Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, an international team of physicians and researchers showed that surgical patients who had a build-up of micro and nanoplastics in their arterial plaque had a 2.1 …

Sludge compost is an increasing source of microplastics, researchers say
11 months ago

Sludge compost is an increasing source of microplastics, researchers say

LA Times  

A team of UCLA researchers has put a new spin on the 1970s rock classic “Dust in the Wind” — only this one is grimmer and grimier than the original hit by Kansas. “If you blow wind on soil with microplastics, you’d expect a similar amount of soil and microplastic to be present in the dust,” said Sanjay Mohanty, a …

The government needs to stop making matters worse
11 months, 1 week ago

The government needs to stop making matters worse

The Independent  

The Post Office scandal highlights why we need a new approach to politics that sets aside government by gimmick in favour of listening to people’s deep concerns and acting to address them. The statement “he doesn’t get Britain” was a direct reference to how Rishi Sunak and the Tory party misunderstand the needs of the British public. One last thing …

Almost all burgers, steaks and chicken contain microplastics
11 months, 1 week ago

Almost all burgers, steaks and chicken contain microplastics

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While the prolific presence of microplastics in fish and shellfish has long been known, there has been less exploration …

Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure?
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure?

BBC  

Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure? Getty Images Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of nanoplastic fragments in every litre, according to a new study A new study has found that bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of nanoplastics. The average litre of bottled water contains almost a quarter of a million nanoplastic fragments, according …

Fighting plastic menace
1 year, 1 month ago

Fighting plastic menace

The Hindu  

Plastic waste is affecting not just the biodiversity, ecosystem and natural resources but also the health of humans and other animals due to ingestion of micro plastics. A recent release of the UN Environment Program stated that every day, equivalent to 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastics are dumped into the oceans, rivers, lakes and other natural water reservoirs — …

For the Love of God, Stop Microwaving Plastic
1 year, 4 months ago

For the Love of God, Stop Microwaving Plastic

Wired  

At the start of his third year of graduate school, Kazi Albab Hussain became a father. “At that time,” Hussain says, “I was purchasing many baby foods, and I was seeing that, even in baby foods, there are a lot of plastics.” Hussain wanted to know how much was being released from the kinds of containers he’d been buying. In …

World Environment Day 2023: How microplastics are affecting your child's health
1 year, 6 months ago

World Environment Day 2023: How microplastics are affecting your child's health

Hindustan Times  

Microplastics, the tiny fragments of plastics less than 5 millimetres in size, are becoming a threat to not just our environment and surroundings but also our health. Microplastics tend to invite a plethora of health problems in children. These chemicals are associated with various health problems such as reproductive and obesity, organ problems, and even developmental delays in children. "Microplastics …

Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate
1 year, 9 months ago

Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate

Wired  

If you throw a polyester sweatshirt in the washing machine, it doesn’t emerge as quite its former self. An international team of researchers calculates that between 82 and 358 trillion plastic particles—a collective 2.4 to 10.8 billion pounds—are floating across the world … and that’s only in the top foot of seawater. “We're talking about quintillions, probably, that's out there, …

Single-use plastic waste rises from 2019-2021 despite pledges
1 year, 10 months ago

Single-use plastic waste rises from 2019-2021 despite pledges

The Hindu  

Polluting single-use plastic production rose by 6 million tonnes per year from 2019 to 2021 despite tougher worldwide regulations, with producers making "little progress" to tackle the problem and boost recycling, new research showed on Monday. But while growth has slowed recently, the production of single-use plastic from "virgin" fossil fuel sources is still nowhere near its peak, and the …

How much plastic is too much for our planet?
1 year, 11 months ago

How much plastic is too much for our planet?

Al Jazeera  

On Wednesday, January 11 at 19:30 GMT: Microplastics – tiny particles that result from the breakdown of plastics – are everywhere, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. And while the harms caused by microplastics are still being studied, researchers and environmental advocates say more action needs to be taken to rein in plastic pollution. Global plastic …

Microplastics in humans: Nanoplastics can cross placenta into unborn babies, study reveals
1 year, 11 months ago

Microplastics in humans: Nanoplastics can cross placenta into unborn babies, study reveals

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Scientists warn it is impossible to stop children ingesting …

What is plastic rain? All you need to know
2 years ago

What is plastic rain? All you need to know

India Today  

The detrimental effects of a plastic mist or rain of microplastics on the human body are a reality, not the subject of research or hypothesis. According to a study done by a group of experts from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, every square metre of urban rooftops in Auckland receives an average of 5,000 pieces of microplastic every …

Increasing evidence that microplastics in clothes may be harmful to health
2 years, 1 month ago

Increasing evidence that microplastics in clothes may be harmful to health

NL Times  

Tiny plastic particles that come off of synthetic clothing are not only bad for the environment but there is also growing evidence that they cause health damage if people inhale them or ingest them through their mouths. The Plastic Soup Foundation analyzed hundreds of publications on the health risks of microplastics and summarized them in a report titled “Do clothes …

The need for plastic de-addiction
2 years, 2 months ago

The need for plastic de-addiction

Hindustan Times  

“It cannot be right to manufacture billions of objects that are used for a matter of minutes, and then are with us for centuries.”--Roz Savage The catla fish swimming serenely could not have foreseen the plastic band wrapping around its body and entrapping it. The sea turtle feasting on what seemed like a new delicacy could not have imagined that …

Health Hazard: Researchers Provide First Evidence of Microplastics in Varanasi Air
2 years, 5 months ago

Health Hazard: Researchers Provide First Evidence of Microplastics in Varanasi Air

News 18  

It is not just the toxic particulate matter, but over 1.1 lakh residents of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh might also be breathing in significant amount of microplastics widely present in the city air. The researchers led by Dipika Pandey and Tirthankar Banerjee from BHU set out to identify and quantify these microplastics in the air, and found it in every …

Antibiotics from plastics! Study reveals use of microplastics in water bodies
2 years, 6 months ago

Antibiotics from plastics! Study reveals use of microplastics in water bodies

Live Mint  

As the world struggles to combat pollution in various aspects-- soil, air, water, noise-- a recent study published in the journal, 'American Society for Microbiology' have found that plastic pollution may after all serve as the source for antibiotics in ocean. Scientists and experts who conducted the study have pointed out that at least 5-13 million tonnes of plastic waste …

Global plastic waste is projected to triple by 2060: OECD
2 years, 6 months ago

Global plastic waste is projected to triple by 2060: OECD

Al Jazeera  

Even with aggressive action to cut demand, plastic production would almost double in less than 40 years. According to the OECD even with aggressive action to cut demand and improve efficiencies, plastic production would almost double in less than 40 years. “Plastic pollution is one of the great environmental challenges of the 21st century, causing wide-ranging damage to ecosystems and …

Microplastics discovered deep in lungs of living people for first time
2 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics discovered deep in lungs of living people for first time

Live Mint  

Days after discovering microplastics in human blood, researchers have now found the plastic particles stuck in the lungs of living people for the very first time. Microplastics in human blood Tiny particles of plastics were detected in human blood for the first time in March. The study had found that 17 out of the 22 healthy people the researchers took …

Scientists discover microplastic stuck deep inside lungs of living people
2 years, 8 months ago

Scientists discover microplastic stuck deep inside lungs of living people

India Today  

Scientists have for the first time discovered microplastics stuck in the lungs of living people in a major study indicating that we are inhaling these dangerous substances without even knowing. A team of scientists from Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull found 39 microplastics in 11 of the 13 lung tissue samples tested, higher than any previous …

Microplastics found in human blood for the first time. How it can affect you
2 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics found in human blood for the first time. How it can affect you

Live Mint  

Tiny particles of plastics, called microplastics, were detected in human blood for the first time, according to a study by a group of scientists in the Netherlands. Published in the journal Environment International, the study found that 17 out of the 22 healthy people the researchers took samples from had quantifiable amounts of plastic particles in their blood. The results …

Switzerland covered by as much as 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastic every year, study says
2 years, 10 months ago

Switzerland covered by as much as 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastic every year, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy At least 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastics cover Switzerland every year, from the remote Alps to …

Scientists find plastic particles in clean air over French Pyrenees mountains
3 years ago

Scientists find plastic particles in clean air over French Pyrenees mountains

India Today  

From polluting the depths of the Mariana Trench to the top of Mount Everest, microplastics have now infiltrated the clean air as well. A team of researchers have found these plastic particles invading the air surrounding Pic du Midi at an altitude of 2,877 meter in the French Pyrenees. Researchers found microplastic concentration of approximately one particle per four cubic …

From Mount Everest to Mariana Trench: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air
3 years ago

From Mount Everest to Mariana Trench: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air

News 18  

From Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, microplastics are everywhere – even high in the Earth’s troposphere where wind speeds allow them to travel vast distances, a study showed Tuesday. Scientists from the French national research institute CNRS sampled air 2,877 meters above sea level at the Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees, a so-called “clean station” because …

Microplastics are found in the blood of farm animals including cows and pigs for the first time
3 years, 2 months ago

Microplastics are found in the blood of farm animals including cows and pigs for the first time

Daily Mail  

Microplastics have been found in the blood of cows and pigs for the first time, sparking concern about how the particles might move through the food chain. New discovery: Microplastics have been found in the blood of cows and pigs for the first time, sparking concern about how the particles might move through the food chain WHAT CAN MICROPLASTICS DO …

Social cost of plastic produced in 2019 more than India’s GDP
3 years, 3 months ago

Social cost of plastic produced in 2019 more than India’s GDP

Live Mint  

The pollution, emissions and clean-up costs of plastic produced in 2019 alone could be $3.7 trillion, according to a report released on Monday by wildlife charity WWF, warning of the environmental and economic burden of this “seemingly cheap” material. In its report, WWF said societies were "unknowingly subsiding" plastic, with their estimates for the lifetime costs of 2019 production equivalent …

Microplastics circulating in the atmosphere are causing 'plastification' of the world: Study
3 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics circulating in the atmosphere are causing 'plastification' of the world: Study

Firstpost  

The amount of microplastic polluting the atmosphere is alarming, as per the study, and circulating everywhere including the oceans. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study states that microplastics may be suspended in the air and have patterns of distribution similar to biogeochemical cycles like water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur cycles, which …

Microplastics in air ‘spiral the globe’, pollution study finds
3 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics in air ‘spiral the globe’, pollution study finds

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s from what we’ve already dumped into the environment over several decades.” “Under the right conditions, plastics can be …

Roads produce 84 PER CENT of plastic dust in the atmosphere
3 years, 8 months ago

Roads produce 84 PER CENT of plastic dust in the atmosphere

Daily Mail  

Roads and the vehicles using them are responsible for 84 per cent of microplastics found in the atmosphere, according to the results of a new study. Researchers from Utah State University examined different sources of atmospheric microplastic pollution found in the western US over a 14 month period. The US team found that 84 per cent of microplastics in the …

Microplastic Pollution Has Reached Everywhere, Including Placentas of Unborn Babies
4 years ago

Microplastic Pollution Has Reached Everywhere, Including Placentas of Unborn Babies

News 18  

It’s 2020 and we can all agree – plastic pollution is worse now than it’s ever been. In new research which is considered great cause for concern, microplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time. Further studies need to be performed to assess if the presence of microplastics may trigger immune responses or …

How Much Plastic Do You Unknowingly Ingest in a Week? A Credit Card Sized Amount
4 years ago

How Much Plastic Do You Unknowingly Ingest in a Week? A Credit Card Sized Amount

News 18  

Lego sushi, credit card burgers, or a well-done piece of PVC pipe? These examples may sound extreme, but can easily represent over time the cumulative amount of microscopic pieces of plastic we consume every day. People could be ingesting the equivalent of a credit card of plastic a week, a 2019 study by WWF International concluded, mainly in plastic-infused drinking …

Babies Who Are Bottle-fed Ingest Millions of Microplastics Every Day, Finds New Study
4 years, 2 months ago

Babies Who Are Bottle-fed Ingest Millions of Microplastics Every Day, Finds New Study

News 18  

Bottle-fed babies may ingest more than a million pieces of microplastics each day, new research showed Monday highlighting the abundance of plastics in our food products. The authors of the research, published in the Nature Food journal, said that sterilisation and exposure to high water temperatures had the biggest effect on microplastic release, going from 0.6 million particles per litre …

Babies that are bottle-fed consume 1.6 million pieces of microplastic every day: study
4 years, 2 months ago

Babies that are bottle-fed consume 1.6 million pieces of microplastic every day: study

Firstpost  

Over a 21-day test period, the team found that the bottles released between 1.3 and 16.2 million plastic microparticles per litre. Bottle-fed babies may ingest more than a million pieces of microplastics each day, new research showed Monday highlighting the abundance of plastics in our food products. They estimated that the average bottle-fed baby could be ingesting 1.6 million plastic …

Watch | All about microplastics
4 years, 2 months ago

Watch | All about microplastics

The Hindu  

The world's sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, according to Australia's national science agency CSIRO. Microplastics are divided into two categories: Primary microplastics Primary microplastics which enter the environment directly, are tiny particles designed for commercial use, as well as microfibers shed from clothing and other textiles, such as fishing nets. Examples of primary …

World's Sea Floor is Littered With a Staggering 14 Million Tonnes of Microplastics, Reveals Study
4 years, 2 months ago

World's Sea Floor is Littered With a Staggering 14 Million Tonnes of Microplastics, Reveals Study

News 18  

The world’s sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia’s national science agency. “We were surprised to observe high microplastic loads in such a remote location.” The scientists, who published their findings in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said areas …

14 million tonnes of microplastics on sea floor: study
4 years, 2 months ago

14 million tonnes of microplastics on sea floor: study

The Hindu  

The world's sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia's national science agency. “We were surprised to observe high microplastic loads in such a remote location.” The scientists, who published their findings in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said areas …

Many human organs are vulnerable to microplastics in the environment, new study demonstrates
4 years, 4 months ago

Many human organs are vulnerable to microplastics in the environment, new study demonstrates

Firstpost  

The researchers highlight that there is still much than needs to be studied around how plastic impacts humans. A study from 2018 found that plastics can pass through the human gut, but a new study from Arizona State University researchers indicates that human tissue and organs are capable of absorbing microplastics and nanoplastics too. The researchers tested a different set …

Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040: Study
4 years, 5 months ago

Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040: Study

India Today  

The amount of plastic waste flowing into the ocean and killing marine life could triple in the next 20 years, unless companies and governments can drastically reduce plastic production, a new study published on Thursday said. If no action is taken, however, the amount of plastic going into the sea every year will rise from 11 million tonnes to 29 …

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