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Plankton Are Turning Microplastics Into Nanoplastics and Making the Whole Situation Worse
Amaze Lab
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2 years ago
Plastics are a threat to many of our planet's ocean-dwelling animals and us, as when they are ingested they can cause myriad health issues. However, according to a new study, some plankton species may actually be making the situation even worse.
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00:00
Plastics are a threat to many of our planet's ocean-dwelling animals and us, as when they
00:07
are ingested they can cause myriad health issues.
00:10
However, according to a new study, some plankton species may actually be making the situation
00:15
even worse.
00:16
University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers say that microscopic plankton are ingesting
00:21
tiny particles of plastic called microplastics.
00:24
They then process it and excrete nanoplastic particles, exacerbating the already catastrophic
00:29
issue.
00:30
They say each individual zooplankton can process upwards of 366,000 nanoparticles a day, and
00:36
in a single freshwater lake in China, that amounts to an astounding 13.3 quadrillion
00:41
particles in a 24-hour period.
00:44
With the researchers saying about their findings, "Scale this up to all of the oceans and
00:48
fresh bodies of water, where both microplastics and rotifiers are present, and the number
00:52
of nanoplastic particles created every day is mind-boggling."
00:56
Microplastics and nanoplastics aren't just inherently toxic to living organisms.
01:00
They can also carry other environmental contaminants along with them, and their inherent toxicity
01:04
tends to rise as they're broken down into smaller bits, as the chemical additives in
01:08
the plastic are enhanced and released, meaning the micro- and nanoplastics problem may be
01:14
about to get a whole lot worse.
01:16
[music]
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