All posts tagged: microplastic

Ziploc Faces a Class Action Lawsuit for Undisclosed Microplastic Risk. What You Need to Know

Ziploc Faces a Class Action Lawsuit for Undisclosed Microplastic Risk. What You Need to Know

Published by skeptic

I’ve got a box of Ziploc bags in my cabinet, and I’m looking at them completely differently now that S.C. Johnson, the maker of Ziploc, is facing a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit says that the marketing that Ziploc storage bags are “suitable for freezer use” and “microwave safe” is misleading because the bags are made from polyethylene and polypropylene. These types of plastics are known to release microplastics into foods when exposed to extreme temperatures, something that is not mentioned on Ziploc’s packaging.  “Repeated exposure to extreme temperatures — cold or hot — stresses plastic materials and can lead to the breakdown of their surface layers, releasing tiny plastic particles into food,” said Brad Younggren of Circulate Health. When you microwave food in plastic, the heat accelerates how much microplastics leach into the food. “Similarly, freezing and thawing cycles can cause structural degradation that also encourages microplastic release, not unlike how freezing temperatures crack pavement in winter,” Younggren said. According to the lawsuit, Ziploc bags are “fundamentally unfit” to be used in the way …

Investigating the cause of microplastic retention in streams

Investigating the cause of microplastic retention in streams

Published by skeptic

A team of researchers have investigated how the contents and flow of streams impact microplastic retention. These tiny plastic particles, found in everyday products from face wash to toothpaste, are an emerging threat to health and ecology, prompting the team to identify what affects microplastic retention in stream ecosystems. Everyday actions like washing synthetic clothing and driving, which wear down tires, contribute to an accumulation of microplastics in environments from city dust to waterways. These plastics often carry toxic chemicals that can threaten the health of humans and wildlife. “We are the key source of microplastics,” said Shannon Speir, assistant professor and researcher in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The study explains that microplastic retention in streams is concerning because they can be ingested by aquatic organisms, posing threats to their digestion and fertility, all while easily spreading. How microplastic structure affects movement Microplastics are unique in size, structure and weight. They measure less than five millimetres across and can be round, as …

Hydrogel breakthrough removes microplastic pollution from water

Hydrogel breakthrough removes microplastic pollution from water

Published by skeptic

Experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed an innovative hydrogel that removes microplastic pollution from water. The novel hydrogel is comprised of an intertwined polymer network that binds to microplastic pollution and degrades them using UV light irradiation. The development could prove instrumental in fighting the growing burden of microplastic pollution worldwide. What is microplastic pollution, and why is it dangerous? Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimetres in size, often resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items or from the manufacturing of microbeads used in personal care products. These particles are pervasive in the environment, found in oceans, rivers, soil, and even in the air we breathe. Their small size and widespread distribution make them difficult to manage and remove. The dangers of microplastics stem from their ability to accumulate toxins and pollutants. Due to their small size, they can be ingested by a wide range of organisms, from plankton to larger marine animals, and can enter the food chain, ultimately posing risks to human health. Once ingested, …

Detergent pods are only the start of clothing’s microplastic pollution problem

Detergent pods are only the start of clothing’s microplastic pollution problem

Published by skeptic

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. Last month, Democratic New York City Council Member James Gennaro introduced a bill that would change the way countless New Yorkers do their laundry—by banning laundry detergent pods. More specifically, the bill—dubbed “Pods Are Plastic”—proposed a ban on dishwashing and laundry detergent pods coated in polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, a type of plastic that disintegrates when submerged in water. Laundry and soap companies have long argued that the PVA coating is totally safe and 100 percent biodegradable, but proponents of the bill say that neither of those claims is true. “Products and profit should not come at the expense of the environment,” Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder of a plastic-free cleaning product company called Blueland, said in a statement. Blueland, which manufactures PVA-free laundry and dishwasher tablets, helped write the bill and has been a vocal critic of PVA for years. In 2022, the company helped pen a petition asking the EPA to remove PVA from a list of chemicals it has deemed safe to use. (The EPA rejected the …

EU will force cosmetic companies to pay to reduce microplastic pollution | Pollution

EU will force cosmetic companies to pay to reduce microplastic pollution | Pollution

Published by skeptic

Beauty companies will have to pay more to clean up microplastic pollution after EU negotiators struck a new deal to treat sewage. Under draft rules that follow the “polluter pays principle”, companies that sell medicines and cosmetics will have to cover at least 80% of the extra costs needed to get rid of tiny pollutants that are dirtying urban wastewater. Governments will pay the rest, members of the bloc said, in an effort to prevent vital products from becoming too expensive or scarce. Virginijus Sinkevičius, the bloc’s environment commissioner, said the steps would safeguard citizens from harmful discharges of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics that end up in water bodies. “This will make our water cleaner and protect our health.” The rules, which have been agreed by the European parliament and council of Europe but not yet formally adopted, bulk up requirements to remove nutrients from water and set new standards for micropollutants. They also broaden the areas covered by the law. By 2035 EU member states will have to remove organic matter from urban wastewater before …

How far can microplastic fibres travel?

How far can microplastic fibres travel?

Published by skeptic

According to a recent study by scientists at the University of Vienna and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen, has determined how far microplastic fibres travel in the atmosphere depends on particle shape. While spherical particles settle quickly, microplastic fibres might travel as far as the stratosphere. The researchers first determined experimentally how fast microplastic fibres settle in the atmosphere and found that fibres settle substantially slower than spheres of the same mass. In their study, the researchers argue that further studies are urgently needed to investigate the possible influence of microplastics on the atmosphere. The research, ‘Shape Matters: Long-Range Transport of Microplastics in the Atmosphere,’ is published in Environmental Science & Technology. A lack of data on microplastic fibres in the air Mohsen Bagheri of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation, who oversaw the laboratory experiments, commented: “Surprisingly, there is almost no data in the literature on the dynamics of microplastic fibres as they settle in the air. “This lack of data is mainly due to the challenges …