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Scientific American
6 days ago
- Science
- Scientific American
The Ocean Is Awash in Millions of Tons of Plastic—Most of It Is Invisible
Marine plastic litter tends to grab headlines, with images of suffocating seabirds or bottles washing up along coastlines. Increasingly, researchers have been finding tiny microplastic fragments across all environments, from the most densely populated cities to pristine mountaintops, as well as in human tissue including the brain and placenta. A study published today reveals yet another hidden source of this deadly waste: nanometre-scale particles are literally everywhere, says co-author Dušan Materić, an environmental analytical chemist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany. Materić and his colleagues sampled water at three depths representative of different environments in the North Atlantic Ocean. Throughout the water column, they found three types of nanoplastic: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC). These were present at average concentrations of 18 milligrams per metre cubed, which translates to 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics spread across just the top layer of the temperate to subtropical North Atlantic. 'Nanoplastics make up the dominant fraction of marine plastic pollution,' Materić says. In the entire world's oceans, it is estimated that there are around 3 million tonnes of floating plastic pollution — excluding nanoplastics. What are plastic nanoparticles and how different are they from microplastics? On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. The tiniest of pieces of plastic, nanoplastics are defined by the researchers as having a diameter of less than one micrometre (one one-thousandth of a metre). Microplastics are between one micrometre and 5 millimetres across. At the smaller scale of nanoplastics, materials behave differently. Materić and his colleagues found that the particles were distributed throughout the water column, rather than settling to the bottom. The movement of the nanoplastic particles was dominated not by gravity, but by the random movement called Brownian motion, and by collisions with water molecules. How did the team find the nanoplastics? The scientists took water samples during a November 2020 cruise on research vessel Pelagia, which is owned by the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research in Texel. They sampled at 12 locations: 5 in the system of circular currents called the North Atlantic subtropical gyre; 4 in the open ocean; and 3 from coastal areas on the European continental shelf. At each location, they gathered samples at depths of 10 metres and 1,000 metres below the surface, and then 30 metres off the ocean bottom. The nanoplastics were detected using a technology called thermal-desorption proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry. 'We faced multiple challenges,' says Materić, including the need to remove contaminants other than nanoplastics. Each 10-millilitre sample was run through a filter with micrometre pores to clear out microplastics. Samples were then slowly heated, releasing any organic matter and allowing the remaining plastics to be identified. Not all was as expected. 'We faced a big mystery,' says Materić. One major class of plastics, polyethylene (PE), was missing from the data, even though fragments almost certainly enter the ocean. The fragments probably transform into something else, or might fall to the sea bed, says Materić. 'This suggests that PE nanoplastic cycling in the ocean environment follows some unusual pathway — either rapid chemical alteration or mineralization, or fast sinking.' Should we be surprised that nanoplastics are an overlooked source of plastics pollution? Should we be worried? 'This does not come as a surprise to me, as I have been aware of the extent and magnitude of the problem for some time,' says Tony Walker, an environmental scientist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. 'Nanoplastics, unlike microplastics, are able to pass through cell walls, meaning that they are already incorporated into the ocean phytoplankton which serve as the base of the marine food web and are able to be transferred through the marine food web,' he explains. The ubiquitousness of nanoplastics means they should be taken seriously, says Materić. 'Given their toxicological potential, they may represent the most problematic plastic size fraction for ocean life,' he says. Walker agrees: 'This should be a wake-up call to all of us,' he says. 'The extent to which nanoplastics can infiltrate every ecosystem and living cell on the planet is even far worse than what we already know about microplastics and larger plastic pollution.' What can be done to mitigate the pollution? The next and likely final round of negotiations for a legally binding United Nations treaty on plastics pollution will kick off in August in Geneva, Switzerland. On the table is a limit on future plastic manufacture, but this is being resisted by some countries, including those that rely on oil and gas exports to power their economies. 'One of the best strategies to mitigate future nanoplastics pollution or release into the environment is to cap plastic production,' says Walker. 'Turn off the tap.' This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on July 9, 2025.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make concerning discovery while studying immune response to COVID-19: 'May reduce its effectiveness'
Exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals," can alter one of the ways our immune system reacts to the coronavirus, possibly affecting vaccine efficacy, according to a recent study led by researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and published in the journal Environment International. The researchers set out to see "how PFAS affect the second arm of the immune system," also known as the cellular immune response, according to a UFZ summary of the research published by Medical Xpress. This response is particularly important when it comes to SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19), as it helps protect against severe illness outcomes, according to the summary. To test the effects, the scientists used blood samples from men and women who had been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 several times and had been infected with the virus. They cultured the immune cells in these samples and exposed them to PFAS for 24 hours. Then, they exposed the immune cells to proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. According to the research summary, the team found that two immune cell types that had been exposed to elevated levels of PFAS produced more inflammatory mediators in response to the SARS-CoV-2 proteins than unexposed samples. This suggested an "excessive immune response," according to the researchers. They added that this effect was especially pronounced in the study's male participants. Meanwhile, the study's female participants had proportionally fewer B cells (immune cells that are important in the development of antibodies and long-term immunity) after exposure to PFAS. "Our results show that exposure to high PFAS concentrations clearly alters the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and may reduce its effectiveness," said Ana Zenclussen, the research team's leader, per the research summary in Medical Xpress. Zenclussen also said that the difference between male and female participants is "an important result that should be investigated more thoroughly in further studies." PFAS are a group of thousands of human-made compounds that are used in everyday household products such as nonstick cookware and water-repellent clothing. They have also been widely found in drinking water and soil across the globe. One study found that more than 20% of Americans may be exposed to PFAS-laced tap water. Nicknamed "forever chemicals," they are known for being persistent in the environment. The new research adds to a growing body of knowledge about the health impacts of PFAS. For example, one study found that exposure to these chemicals can alter the expressions of certain genes within the brain, while another tied them to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in women after menopause. While PFAS are known for being difficult to remove from the environment, some scientists are making headway. For example, one University of Illinois team reportedly discovered a way to remove the full spectrum of PFAS from water with a single process. You can reduce your exposure by shopping from PFAS-free brands, upgrading your cookware, and limiting your purchases of stain- and water-resistant clothing. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Japan Times
11-02-2025
- Science
- Japan Times
It's ‘virtually certain' the world has already breached 1.5 C
The world may have already missed its chance to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to two new studies in Nature Climate Change. The Paris Agreement was inked in 2015, with 196 countries agreeing to rein in greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global average temperature increase to "well below' 2 C and ideally cap it at 1.5 C compared to preindustrial times. The new analyses show the world will surpass the latter, underscoring the urgent need to cut carbon emissions. "Every increment of warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius means worse extremes,' said Alex Cannon, a research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, and author of one of the studies. "If we continue warming the atmosphere, consequences will be greater.' In 2024, global temperatures reached 1.5 C for the entire year, the first time it's happened in recorded history. It was a stark departure from previous projections: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published just a year earlier suggested that temperatures would reach 1.5 C in the early 2030s if emissions weren't cut. The breach left scientists wondering, "is this a sign? Are these short-term exceedances above that level indicative of us actually reaching that target sooner than we expected?' said Cannon. The reason for those questions is because the Paris Agreement's 1.5 C threshold isn't focused on daily or even yearly temperatures. Instead, it's based on a 20-year retrospective average, which means the world won't know it's hit 1.5 C until after the fact. The two new studies attempt to get around that by using climate models to look ahead based on current data to see if we've already entered a 20-year period above 1.5 C. Cannon's study, and a separate study led by Emanuele Bevacqua, a climate scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany, both suggest that's exactly what's happened. "I pronounce the 1.5 C target mostly dead," Kate Marvel, a research physicist with NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies who was not part of either study, said in an email. "Yes, a single year over 1.5 C doesn't necessarily mean the average temperature over the next 20-year period is going to be 1.5 C,' she said, "but these papers make a pretty compelling case that in models, the first single year above 1.5 C is likely to fall within that 20-year period.' The findings are part of a growing body of research warning the world that its climate targets are increasingly out of reach and that heating is accelerating. In fact, this January was the hottest on record despite the cooling influence of an emerging La Nina. The new studies put the odds of being in the midst of a 20-year period where the Earth breaches 1.5 C to be somewhere between "likely' and "virtually certain.' Despite that, both Cannon and Bevacqua agree that heating can be arrested by drastically reducing fossil fuel use. But the chance of that happening is shrinking given the Trump administration's assault on climate action. Since taking office, his administration has taken steps to increase fossil fuel production and withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. Other world leaders are reportedly considering following suit, creating headwinds for the deep emissions cuts needed. The 1.5 C threshold was included in the Paris Agreement largely at the behest of small island developing states, many of which would be wiped off the map by sea level rise should the planet heat beyond it. More recent research has found that even at 1.5 C, small island developing states risk flooding from sea level rise. "Even if we reach the 1.5-degree global warming level threshold in the future, we should still aim to not exceed this too much or even make sure that this is our temporary exceedance so that we can stabilize the temperature and at some point cool the temperature,' said Bevacqua. That's been a rallying cry for years. The world, though, has failed to heed it as carbon pollution has continued to climb to record highs. "Rapid near-term emissions cuts can limit peak warming and reduce climate risks,' said Marvel. "Whether or not that merits action is not (just) for scientists to decide.'
