According to the abstract of a Chemosphere article to be published July 2023 by researchers with the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology “… The size of microplastics (MPs) plays an important role in combined toxic effects including synergistic or antagonistic effects … we employed a zebrafish model to investigate the effects of MP size on […]
News and Updates
Micro-and Nanoplastic Particles (MNPs) – Endocrine Disruptor Effects in Rats Studied
According to the abstract of an April 23, 2023 Particle and Fibre Toxicology article by researchers with Rutgers University and Harvard University “… Exposure to micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPs) in humans is being identified in both the indoor and outdoor environment. Detection of these materials in the air has made inhalation exposure to MNPs a major cause for […]
Plastic Waste – How Plastic Pollution could be Reduced by 80 per cent by 2040
On May 16, 2023, the United Nations Environment Programme released a report “… ahead of a second round of negotiations in Paris on a global agreement to beat plastic pollution …” https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-roadmap-outlines-solutions-cut-global-plastic-pollution and https://www.unep.org/resources/turning-off-tap-end-plastic-pollution-create-circular-economy – According the news release: “… Plastic pollution could reduce by 80 per cent by 2040 if countries and companies make deep policy and market shifts using existing technologies … […]
Google Issues “Single-Use Plastics Challenge, an open invitation to help reduce plastic waste” in its Food Service Operations
In an April 19, 2023 blog Google announced that the company is “… rethinking our approach to the way we source products, serve food and reduce our waste. We’re looking to switch from using single-use disposable products in our onsite food service operations to more reusable solutions … to help further reduce the plastic footprint across food […]
Micro and Nanoplastics (MNPs) Particles – Effects and Impacts on Food Safety Examined
According to the abstract of an April 2023 Trends in Analytical Chemistry article by researchers from Australia, Germany, UK, Thailand and the Czech Republic “… The effects of Micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) particles on food safety and security remain largely unknown … Multiple analytical methods must be combined to elucidate how MNPs affect food safety and security […]
ADFPI Comments on FFAR “Research Strategy Refresh”
During the evening of Wednesday, May 3, 2023, the Initiative submitted comments to the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) in response to FFAR’s request for comments by May 5 on its “Research Strategy Refresh” – The Initiative advised that: A significant amount of plastic food packaging is “improperly discarded;” that is, it finds its way […]
Packaging Waste – Maryland Enacts Producer Responsibility Legislation
On May 8, 2023, the Governor of Maryland signed SB 22, titled “Environment – Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment and Producer Responsibility for Packaging Materials” https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/legislation/details/sb0222?ys=2023rs and https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/fnotes/bil_0002/sb0222.pdf which “… requires the Office of Recycling … to hire an independent consultant to conduct a statewide recycling needs assessment. The Office of Recycling must report the results of the assessment … by July 30, 2024. […]
Microplastics – Procedures for the Addition to California’s Candidate Chemicals List are Underway
According to an April 27, 2023 news release, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) https://dtsc.ca.gov/2023/04/27/news-release_t-03-23/has scheduled a public workshop for July 27, 2023 to gather information necessary for the issuance of a proposed rule which would add microplastics “… to its Candidate Chemicals List (CCL), based on their reported impacts on human health and the environment […]
Adverse Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Plant–Pollinator Interaction and Pollination Biology Studied
According to the abstract of an April 17, 2023 Environmental Science and Technology article https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c07733 by researchers from China Huazhong Agricultural University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences “… Recent studies have expanded our understanding of the adverse effects of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) pollution on human, terrestrial, and aquatic animals, insects, and plants … we describe the […]
Accumulation of Microplastics in Ice Algae
The abstract of an April 21, 2023 Environmental Science and Technology article by researchers in Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom advises that “… Ice algae growing underneath sea ice are released upon melting and can form fast-sinking aggregates. In this pilot study, we sampled and analyzed the ice algae Melosira arctica and ambient sea water from […]