The black shit covering the snow? That's from #cars. But importantly, it's not just exhaust soot - it's also pieces of tire (as they wear down). Eg, #microplastics that will end up in the ocean and in our drinking water.
#Environmental harm is often hidden beneath glossy packaging. Countless products rely on #plastic containers designed for brief use yet destined to persist for centuries. #Microplastics from exfoliants & glitter wash into waterways, entering food chains & damaging marine ecosystems. Palm oil cultivation for cosmetics contributes to #deforestation, displacing #wildlife while accelerating #ClimateInstability. (1/2)
Rising amounts of #microplastics linked to heart disease and Alzheimers are accumulating in our brains: "Brains of people who died in 2024....had significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than the brains of people who died in 2016." https://wapo.st/49mgyuW@ShannonOsaka@washsingtonpost
@ jalopnik.com
JALOPNIK
could have come from tire pollution. By the
way, your car's cabin is a hotspot for
microplastics as well.
A further report published in Environmental
Research found an incredible 2,456 chemical
compounds when tire rubber was investigated.
One of the most dangerous was a hydrocarbon
called 6PPD; when it's released into the
atmosphere by tires, it can combine with the
ozone in the air, causing a chemical reaction
that creates 6PPD-quinone - which has proven
deadly to salmon and is now being connected
to neurological issues in humans. PAHS
(Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) are among
the other nasty ingredients in tires, and those
pose a "significant danger to human health and
the well-being of humans," as reported in
Chemosphere. Oh, and the largest non-rubber
material in tires is carbon black, or soot, which
is classified as fine particulate matter - and
that, in turn, is associated with four million
deaths per year.
EWG's "7 ways to detox your home" is a great list of practical, actionable ways to make your home a healthier environment.
My big related challenged for 2026 are: keep dust down with my new vacuum, and find moments in the day to open the windows and let fresh air in. (Tough in the cold/high PPM air quality of winter and the heat/ozone/wildfire smoke of summer, but I'll look for the sweet spots.)
New research out of Queensland has found that plastic electric kettles can leach nano-sized plastic particles into boiled water. These particles are small enough to potentially enter our cells.
The study highlights yet another common household source of microplastic exposure, adding to our growing understanding of how pervasive plastic contamination has become.
Maybe it's time to dig out that old stainless steel kettle.
The study also found that, in relation to bones, plastic particles can reduce the viability of cells, induce premature cellular aging, modify gene expression, and trigger inflammatory responses. The combination of these effects generates an imbalance in which osteoclasts destroy more bone tissue than is regenerated, causing an accelerated weakening of bone structure.
Hey Fedi #microplastics#Science folks. We are running a workshop in Japan on a 14 Metre expedition yacht in the last half of October. Topics include atmospheric, soil and marine micro and nanoplastic research methods. We will discuss choosing sampling methods and analytical spectroscopy techniques and how to marry them effectively. 2 weeks of science and sailing in the stunning Seto inland Sea. 170eu per day. Food and accommodation on board included. Please boost. https://wicked-horizon.com/30031-2/
An silver sailing boat on blue water. An island in the background. It is a fast looking boat with two women on the deck
Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment by Teresa Rocha-Santos et al, 2022
This reference work presents an authoritative review of microplastics as vectors of environmental contaminants and provides a comprehensive coverage of their ecotoxicological and toxicological effects.
Divided into four sections, this book outlines the current analytical techniques and applications for sampling, processing analysis, and data reporting of microplastics pollution in the environment, explores microplastics degradation and interaction with chemical pollutants, discusses the fate and behaviour of microplastics in the environment, and provides valuable insights about prevention, regulation and remediation of microplastics pollution.
Divided into four sections, this book outlines the current analytical techniques and applications for sampling, processing analysis, and data reporting of microplastics pollution in the environment, explores microplastics degradation and interaction with chemical pollutants, discusses the fate and behaviour of microplastics in the environment, and provides valuable insights about prevention, regulation and remediation of microplastics pollution.
Handbook of Microplastic Pollution in the Environment: Microplastic Pollution in the Soil by Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, 2025
In this timely handbook, one of a series of three, leading contributors from around the world offer practical insight into the challenges and opportunities for using various technologies to tackle microplastic pollution and improve microplastic management in agricultural soil.
Cover of Handbook of Microplastic Pollution in the Environment: Microplastic Pollution in the Soil showing a misty autumn scene with ground covered with colourful plastics.
Microplastics and Soil Microbiome: Recent Trends and Future Prospects by Kanika Khanna et al, 2025
This edited book is a comprehensive collection of information on microplastics and their existence within the environment. The main focus of this book is to address the ecological aspect of microplastics and their degradation of the ecosystem.
It deals with the distribution, persistence, fate, and remediation of microplastics with novel strategies such as nanoparticles, beneficial microbes, biofilms, enzymatic processes, bio-nano materials, biotechnological and other sustainable approaches.
The widespread presence of microplastics in the environment has led to major concerns, thereby orienting the studies on the interactions within the environment among plants and soil microbiome. The variety and properties of microplastics in the environment make their interactions more complex. The emergence of new ecological sites will also affect the ecosystem of water and soil. This title compiles updated aspects and information about the remediation practices and the fateof microplastics in the environment.
The book focuses on eco-friendly, eco-efficiency and novel practices to deal with microplastic pollution. This book is of interest and useful to agricultural professionals, environmentalists, industrialists, field-level extension workers, planters, industrial entrepreneurs, ecologists, and a valuable source of reference to the relevant researchers and students in the region.
The #Mediterranean: Not just the most overfished #sea in the world, but also one of the most threatened.🚨
From #plastic#pollution in its deepest trenches, illegal #fishing practices being the norm, to 730 tonnes of plastic entering its water daily, and soaring levels of toxic #microplastics.
The Mediterranean is in crisis, and it needs its #protection urgently.
1/6
The Mediterranean Sea - plastic found even in the deepest trenches
@thejapantimes We are killing ourselves. It isn't just exhaust fumes from cars, it's the tires spewing microplastics. We threw away the transporting devices with steel wheels so we each could have rubber tires by the 100s of millions just in the United States. alone. Wonder where the tire tread went? Into every part of our bodies. Yes, #microplastics, among other things, affect #demographics
Microplastics in Marine Ecosystem; Sources, Risks, Mitigation Technologies, and Challenges by Shobhika Parmar & Vijay Kumar Sharma & Vir Singh, 2023
This book addresses pertinent issues relating to microplastic pollution including its sources and sink of the microplastics and their environmental fate. It focuses on the impacts of microplastic pollution on marine life and human health.
Available conventional methods and future solutions for the prevention and control of the marine microplastic pollution, such as bacterial and marine fungus biodegradation, membrane technology, and bioengineered microbes are included along with limitations and future challenges.
Features:
Provides detailed insight into the marine microplastics pollution, fate, health impacts, and removal technology
Reviews ecological risks and environmental fate of microplastic pollution to the marine ecosystem
Describes control and prevention methods of the microplastics pollution
Covers global legislature for the mitigation of microplastic to the marine environment
Discusses the role of community participation for the reduction of microplastic emissions
This book is aimed at researchers and professionals in environmental engineering, science, and chemistry, marine pollution, marine and aquatic science.
Microplastics in the Environment addresses the biggest unresolved pollution issue: microplastics accumulating in the environment at a rapidly growing rate, giving rise to severe ecological stress and novel diseases in both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. This book is a one-stop resource that ties together the latest developments in this fast-moving field, including analytical techniques, risk assessment methods and predictive approaches, and evaluates different strategies that make it possible to minimize and redress microplastics pollution in the near and distant future.
Microplastic: Distribution, Avoidance, Usage by Andreas Fath, 2024
The book presents the entire spectrum of the microplastics problem in our waters, from the collection of water samples to their analysis and interpretation.
Se tiveres mesmo de beber Coca-Cola, que é americana, opta antes pelos substitutos europeus, como a Fritz-Cola (alemã), a Sinalco e outras marcas disponíveis por aí. Mas, provavelmente, o melhor mesmo é não beber refrigerantes. Mal por mal, mais vale beber um tinto do Douro ou do Alentejo, sem desprimor das outras regiões. :flan_wine:
"Coca-Cola ranks as the world’s top branded plastic polluter, followed by PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria, according to a 2024 study published in Science Advances."
blurred lights background, microphone foreground
IT'S IN THE BLOOD by Susan Kaye Quinn
ereader with Reckoning 8 cover
Microplastics and (quiet) revolution