MICROPLASTICS

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Dec 19 2024ENVIRONMENT

How Microplastics Help Antibiotics Travel in Groundwater

You’ve probably heard that microplastics (MPs) are bad for the environment, but did you know they also help antibiotics move around in groundwater? This happens because MPs can carry antibiotics like oxytetracycline (OTC) as they journey through soil and surface water. According to research, this me

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Dec 19 2024ENVIRONMENT

Microplastics in Compost: A Hidden Threat

You might think compost is all about turning waste into something useful, but there's a hidden problem lurking inside: microplastics. These tiny plastic particles are sneaking into our compost from various sources like domestic trash, sewage sludge, and agricultural waste. Once they're in there, the

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Dec 13 2024ENVIRONMENT

Plastic Pollution's Secret Impact on Daphnia and Their Microbiomes

Microplastics, tiny plastic bits under five millimetres, are causing big trouble in our waterways. These little pieces are gathering in urban freshwater ponds, affecting creatures like Daphnia, which are vital for these ecosystems. Scientists looked at how microplastics affect Daphnia's health and t

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Dec 08 2024SCIENCE

Small Plastics in Coastal Waters: Two Pumps Compared

Microplastics, tiny plastic particles, are a growing concern in our oceans. They can hurt sea creatures and pollute our waters. Scientists are now focusing on the smaller ones, less than 300 micrometers, because we don't know much about them. This study compared two filter pumps, the AAU-UFO and KCD

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Nov 30 2024SCIENCE

Microplastics: The Invisible Threat to Air and Health

Have you ever thought about what happens to all the plastic we throw away? A lot of it ends up in the air we breathe as microplastics. These tiny plastic pieces, less than 5 millimeters in size, are everywhere, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains. They come from things like old tires, f

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Nov 19 2024ENVIRONMENT

How Plastics Affect Arsenic in Paddy Soils

It's no secret that tiny plastic pieces, called microplastics, are showing up in places they don't belong, like paddy soil. Scientists decided to check how this affects the way arsenic behaves in the soil. They ran a 98-day experiment using both regular and biodegradable microplastics in soil contam

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Nov 19 2024ENVIRONMENT

Plastic Pollution from Pavements: A Hidden Threat

You know how tires leave tiny bits of rubber on the road? Those bits are called microplastics. But did you know that pavements can also release these tiny plastics into the water that runs off roads? A study looked into this over two years. They discovered that asphalt roads let out the most micropl

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Nov 17 2024SCIENCE

Microplastics in Motion: How Shape and Age Affect Their Journey

Every day, tiny pieces of plastic, known as microplastics, find their way into our environment. Understanding how they move around, especially downward, is crucial. Scientists have been trying to figure this out using something called "drag models. " Previously, these models haven't really considere

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Oct 03 2024ENVIRONMENT

The Hidden Plastic in Our Makeup and Skincare

Ever thought about what's really in your makeup and skincare products? It turns out that microplastics might be hiding there, especially in leave-on items like moisturizers and lipsticks. You won't find these tiny plastics in rinse-off products like face scrubs anymore, as many countries have banned

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Aug 28 2024HEALTH

Revolutionary Device Uncovers Microplastics in Your Daily Brew: A UBC Innovation

Researchers from the University of British Columbia have developed a portable and cost-effective device that can detect microplastics as small as one hundredth the width of a human hair in various liquids, including beverages. The device utilizes a wireless digital microscope, green LED light, and

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