The abstract of an October 24, 2022 Microbiome article https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-022-01369-x by researchers with Australia University of Technology Sydney and Australia Macquarie University reports that “… we explored the population and genetic level responses of a marine microbial community following exposure to leachate from a common plastic (polyvinyl chloride) or zinc, a specific plastic additive. Both the full mix of substances leached from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and zinc alone had profound impacts on the taxonomic and functional diversity of our natural planktonic community … This study shows that substances leached from plastics can restructure marine microbial communities with the potential for significant impacts on trophodynamics and biogeochemical cycling. These findings substantially expand our understanding of the ways by which plastic pollution impact life in our oceans, knowledge which is particularly important given that the burden of plastic pollution in the marine environment is predicted to continue to rise …” #PlasticWaste #SingleUsePlastic @UTSEngage @Macquarie_Uni