Scientific Evidence Supports a Ban on Microbeads

Rochman, Chelsea M.; Kross, Sara M.; Armstrong, Jonathan B.; Bogan, Michael T.; Darling, Emily S.; Green, Stephanie; Smyth, Ashley R.; Veríssimo, Diogo

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b03909

Cited by 339 publications

(190 citation statements)

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“…There is now substantial action on this issue internationally, with several governments, including those of the USA and the UK, introducing legislative bans on microbeads in cosmetics and detergents, and many cosmetics companies voluntarily committing to halt their use of microplastics by 2020 [2,3]. New research on the effects of microbeads has revealed biological responses in both terrestrial and aquatic environments, with evidence demonstrating that microplastics reduce the survival and fitness of earthworms Lumbricus terrestris [4] and facilitate the accumulation of sorbed organic pollutants in fish [5].…”

Section: Aims Of Horizon Scanningmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 2018 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity

Sutherland

Butchart

Connor

et al. 2018

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

126

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We present the results of our eighth annual horizon scan of emerging issues likely to affect global biological diversity, the environment, and conservation efforts in the future. The potential effects of these novel issues might not yet be fully recognized or understood by the global conservation community, and the issues can be regarded as both opportunities and risks. A diverse international team with collective expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, and conservation research, practice, and policy reviewed 100 potential issues and identified 15 that qualified as emerging, with potential substantial global effects. These issues include new developments in energy storage and fuel production, sand extraction, potential solutions to combat coral bleaching and invasive marine species, and blockchain technology. Aims of Horizon ScanningWe have conducted an annual horizon scan of global conservation issues since 2010 with the aim of highlighting, by consensus, emerging topics that are not yet widely known in the conservation community but could have substantial effects on biological diversity worldwide in the medium to long term. Our iterative, transferable process of horizon scanning, which is designed to be both transparent and democratic, is carried out by a team with a wide range of experiences and areas of expertise.Our aim has been to focus attention and stimulate debate about these subjects, potentially leading to new research foci, policy developments, or business innovations. These responses should help to facilitate better-informed forward-planning. It is difficult to gauge the direct effects of our horizon scans on the research, policy, or business communities, except through personal communication and hearsay. However, several topics recognized in our previous horizon scans Trends This is the eighth such annual horizon scan.An international team with expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, and conservation research, practice, and policy identified 15 issues, following widespread consultation and a Delphi-like scoring process to identify the most important.The issues were wide ranging, and include sand extraction, blockchain technology, use of robotics to combat invasive species, and new developments in energy storage and fuel production. There is now substantial action on this issue internationally, with several governments, including those of the USA and the UK, introducing legislative bans on microbeads in cosmetics and detergents, and many cosmetics companies voluntarily committing to halt their use of microplastics by 2020 [2,3]. New research on the effects of microbeads has revealed biological responses in both terrestrial and aquatic environments, with evidence demonstrating that microplastics reduce the survival and fitness of earthworms Lumbricus terrestris [4] and facilitate the accumulation of sorbed organic pollutants in fish [5]. Discussion of the use of gene editing to control invasive species or disease vectors, raised in our 2014 horizon scan [6], has increased...

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Section: Aims Of Horizon Scanningmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 2018 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity

Sutherland

Butchart

Connor

et al. 2018

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

126

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Evidence is mounting that fibers are a dominant form of plastic pollution in many aquatic ecosystems-especially fluvial (McCormick et al, 2014;Zhao et al, 2014;Dris et al, 2015;Baldwin et al, 2016), but also in marine beaches and sediment (Browne et al, 2011;Claessens et al, 2011;Woodall et al, 2014;Fischer et al, 2015;Naidoo et al, 2015;. The ecological implications of these fibers remain to be shown, but plastic fibers are increasingly found in the stomachs and tissues of aquatic wildlife, many of which are consumed by larger animals, including humans (Neves et al, 2015;Rochman et al, 2015a;Vandermeersch et al, 2015;Li et al, 2016). Direct human health impacts have been reported, as well: when inhaled, microplastic fibers are retained the lung tissues and can become associated with malignant tumors (Pauly et al, 1998).…”

Section: Confidence In Fiber Count Data Depends On Size Class and Sormentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and Modeled Transport of Plastic Pollution in the Great Lakes, the World's Largest Freshwater Resource

Cable

Beletsky

et al. 2017

Front. Environ. Sci.

125

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Most plastic pollution originates on land. As such, freshwater bodies serve as conduits for the transport of plastic litter to the ocean. Understanding the concentrations and fluxes of plastic litter in freshwater ecosystems is critical to our understanding of the global plastic litter budget and underpins the success of future management strategies. We conducted a replicated field survey of surface plastic concentrations in four lakes in the North American Great Lakes system, the largest contiguous freshwater system on the planet. We then modeled plastic transport to resolve spatial and temporal variability of plastic distribution in one of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie. Triplicate surface samples were collected at 38 stations in mid-summer of 2014. Plastic particles >106 µm in size were quantified. Concentrations were highest near populated urban areas and their water infrastructure. In the highest concentration trawl, nearly 2 million fragments km −2 were found in the Detroit River-dwarfing previous reports of Great Lakes plastic abundances by over 4-fold. Yet, the accuracy of single trawl counts was challenged: within-station plastic abundances varied 0-to 3-fold between replicate trawls. In the smallest size class (106-1,000 µm), false positive rates of 12-24% were determined analytically for plastic vs. non-plastic, while false negative rates averaged ∼18%. Though predicted to form in summer by the existing Lake Erie circulation model, our transport model did not predict a permanent surface "Lake Erie Garbage Patch" in its central basin-a trend supported by field survey data. Rather, general eastward transport with recirculation in the major basins was predicted. Further, modeled plastic residence times were drastically influenced by plastic buoyancy. Neutrally buoyant plastics-those with the same density as the ambient water-were flushed several times slower than plastics floating at the water's surface and exceeded the hydraulic residence time of the lake. It is likely that the ecosystem impacts of plastic litter persist in the Great Lakes longer than assumed based on lake flushing rates. This study furthers our understanding of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, a model freshwater system to study the movement of plastic from anthropogenic sources to environmental sinks.

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“…This plastic debris can be ranked as primary, in which the particle was manufactured as a microplastic, or secondary, in which the particle was manufactured as a macroplastic (>5 mm) and degraded to its present size (Cole et al 2011;Rummel 2014). Primary microplastics largely consist of microbeads (tiny round plastics mainly used as abrasive scrubs) and are commonly found in hygiene, sandblasting, and medical products (Zitko and Hanlon 1991;Patel et al 2009;Browne et al 2011;Rochman et al 2015). Secondary microplastics vary in form and origin, and often result from the breakdown of macroplastics through ultraviolet, microbial, and physical degradation (Browne et al 2007;Rios et al 2007;Moore 2008;Shah et al 2008;Barnes et al 2009;Ryan et al 2009;Andrady 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish and the water from an urban prairie creek

Campbell

Williamson

Hall

2017

FACETS

164

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Microplastics are defined as any plastic with a diameter ≤5 mm. Problems associated with these plastics such as contamination of both marine and freshwater environments and ingestion by aquatic organisms are of increasing concern. Our study quantifies the number of microplastics in a prairie creek immediately downstream of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Water samples and five species of fish were collected from sample sites upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the summers of 2015 and 2016. Samples were digested in either a Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 or NaClO solution and observed under a microscope where plastics present were enumerated by colour and type. At least one microplastic was detected in 73.5% of fish and 95.6% of water samples, showing that the creek does, in fact, contain microplastics. Concentrations were higher in water from upstream sites, likely due to dilution of creek water by the release of treated effluent. The results of this study provide baseline conditions for the presence of plastics in the creek prior to a major upgrade of the WWTP scheduled for completion in 2016.

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Scientific Evidence Supports a Ban on Microbeads

Abstract: Growing scientific evidence indicates that synthetic plastic microbeads (hereafter, microbeads)

Cited by 339 publications

References 0 publications

A 2018 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity

A 2018 Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation and Biological Diversity

Distribution and Modeled Transport of Plastic Pollution in the Great Lakes, the World's Largest Freshwater Resource

Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish and the water from an urban prairie creek

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