According to the abstract of an October 15, 2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety article by researchers with Pukyong National University, Sun Moon University, National Institute of Fisheries Science and Jeju National University, all in the Republic of Korea https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115469 which “… aimed to determine the toxicity standard and potential risks and effects of polyamide (PA) […]
News and Updates
Polystyrene Microplastics Found to Cause Fish Toxicity at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations
According to the abstract of a September 8, 2023 ACS Environmental Science & Technology article https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c02769 by researchers with Guangzhou University in China who “… investigated the mechanism underlying the perturbation of hepatic lipid metabolism in response to micro/nanoplastic (MP/NP) exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations … Polystyrene (PS) MPs/NPs with different sizes (0.1, 0.5, and […]
UN Plastic Treaty Discussion Document Released
According to a September 4, 2023, United Nations UN Environment Programme (UNEP) news release https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/media?s=03#MediaAdvisoryZeroDraft the Chair of the Third Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-3 has released the “… Zero draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment …” which is available here: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/43239/ZERODRAFT.pdf and which is […]
PepsiCo to Replace Plastic Beverage Multipack Rings with Recyclable Paper Based Materials
According to an August 24, 2023 PepsiCo news release https://www.pepsico.com/our-stories/press-release/pepsico-announces-it-will-eliminate-plastic-rings-on-beverage-multipacks-across-us-canada-by-introducing-recyclable-paper-based-designs the company later this year will roll out across the US and Canada “… paper-based solutions to replace plastic rings across multipacks that have traditionally used plastic rings … This innovation will drive progress toward PepsiCo’s ambitious pep+ goals to reduce virgin plastic from nonrenewable […]
Microplastics – Changes in Behavior and Inflammation in Young and Old Mice Reported
According to the abstract of an August 1, 2023 International Journal of Molecular Science article https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/15/12308 by researchers with the University of Rhode Island “… the mismanagement of plastic waste has become a pressing global issue … studies on microplastics (MPs) toxicity have shown that exposure to MPs induces oxidative stress, inflammation, and decreased cell viability […]
Microplastics and Nanoplastics – Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance Studied
According to the abstract of a June 29, 2023 Pathogens article https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12070888 by researchers with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY “… Propagation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health issue that needs special attention concerning horizontal gene transfer (HGT) under micro-nano plastics (MNPs) pressure … The adsorption of […]
Weathered Microplastics found to be more Toxic to Mice than Virgin Microplastics
According to the abstract of a September 15, 2023 Environmental Research article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001393512301215X by researchers with Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea (RoK) and other RoK research institutions “… The growing use of plastic materials has resulted in a constant increase in the risk associated with microplastics (MPs). Ultra-violet (UV) light and wind break down […]
Plastic Food Packaging in Canada – Large Grocers to be Required to Develop Pollution Prevention Plans
According to an August 16, 2023, McCarthy Tétrault Consumer Markets Perspective https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/insights/blogs/consumer-markets-perspectives/eccc-launches-consultation-requirement-major-grocers-develop-pollution-prevention-plans-primary-packaging Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is seeking public comments by August 30 on a consultation that would require major grocers to develop pollution prevention plans for single use plastics and primary food plastic packaging – The consultation would “… impact large grocery […]
Chemicals in Plastics – “adverse impacts on human health and the environment” Addressed in UNEP Report
On May 3, 2023, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report, titled “Chemicals in Plastics: A Technical Report” https://www.unep.org/resources/report/chemicals-plastics-technical-report that “… aims to inform the global community about the often-overlooked chemical-related issues of plastic pollution, particularly their adverse impacts on human health and the environment as well as on resource efficiency and circularity. Based […]
Microplastics Detected in Marine Mammal Blubber and other Tissues
According to the abstract of an October 15, 2023 Environmental Pollution article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026974912301254X by researchers with Duke University in the US and University of Toronto in Canada “… we demonstrate the occurrence of microplastics … in four tissues (acoustic fat pad, blubber, lung, & melon) from twelve marine mammal species inclusive of mysticetes, odontocetes, and […]