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Friday, November 27, 2015

Microbeads found in sea salt



Microbeads have made their way into contaminating sea salt. Breaking down various salts such as sea salt, and rock and well salt, scientists from the American Chemistry Society have discovered that every kilogram of sea salt contains roughly 550 to 681 microbeads. Using sea salt at the recommended nutrition level means that the consumption of the plastic particles comes out to be 1,000 per person every year. These dangerous particles may even make their way into cells and damage tissues (microbeads absorb toxic chemicals such as the pesticide DDT and toxic polychlorinated biphenyl). 

Microbeads are extremely detrimental to sea life. Because these tiny particles typically measure out to be about 2 millimeters, they are easily washed down the drain and will continue to flow through into the ocean and contaminate various sea life such as turtles, sea birds, and whales. Planktons, tiny organisms that live under water also consume the plastic, and sea life consumes the plankton. Bits and pieces of plastic are now being found across beaches around the world, as well as new types of rocks forming from the mixture of plastics and sand. 

Below is a video of plankton consuming plastic. If something as tiny as a sea organism can consume this plastic, it is imperative that we know of its impact on the food chain, making its way up to destroying wildlife as well as us as human beings. 



Sources:

  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3330671/The-hidden-PLASTIC-lurking-food-Hundreds-tiny-micro-beads-sea-salt-swallow-1-000-year.html

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