Microplastics
in the water: A threat to animals and human beings
“One
word, plastics.” That famous line from the 1967 Academy Award-winning film The
Graduate has proven to be prophetic.
Today,
the globe is choking on the stuff…literally.
Scientists
estimate that nearly 270,000 metric tons of plastic are now dispersed
throughout the world’s oceans. They even came up with some creative names for
these gyres, from ocean “convergence zones” to oceanic “garbage patches.”
What
are microplastics? Unlike much larger plastic items that litter the globe and
ensnare everything from sea turtles and dolphins to otters, and even whales,
microplastics are potentially even more lethal.
They are tiny bits of polyethylene (PE),
polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and
polypropylene (PP) that are added to creams, soaps, and toothpaste as
exfoliants “to produce a ‘feel good factor.”
They
are also so small, they easily wash down the drain, work their way largely
undisturbed through filtration plants, and pass into waterways and the ocean by
the trillions each year.
What
does this all mean for us? In addition to endangering hundreds of species of
fish, wildlife, and the environment itself, microplastics are entering into our
food chain by the trillions.
Think about it. We brush our teeth with
the things. We rub them into our skin, and we are ingesting these microscopic
pieces of plastic in quantities that may shock you.
According
to the study, scientists found “anthropogenic debris” in about a quarter of the
fish for sale in California.
As
the call to ban microplastics gains momentum around the globe, one obvious
question is what are the best instruments available to trace, identify, and
classify microplastics in products, food, and the environment.
The
primary analytical technique for identifying polymers and additives is infrared
(IR) spectroscopy.
PerkinElmer
offers the most advanced instruments from the Spotlight 400 IR Imaging system
to the portable, fast, and easy-to-use Spectrum Two™ IR.
Outfitted with ready-made protocols, a materials library, and
the unique Spectrum Touch™ software, the Spectrum Two instrument is the ideal
choice for synthetic polymer identification in microplastics. –
.
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