A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that plastic particles in water may end up inside fish brains. The plastic can cause brain damage, which is the likely cause of behavioural disorders observed in the fish.
Calculations have shown that 10 per cent of all plastic produced around the world ultimately ends up in the oceans. As a result, a large majority of global marine debris is in fact plastic waste. Human production of plastics is a well-known environmental concern, but few studies have studied the effects of tiny plastic particles, known as nanoplastic particles.
“Our study is the first to show that nanosized plastic particles can accumulate in fish brains”, says Tommy Cedervall, a chemistry researcher at Lund University.
The Lund University researchers studied how nanoplastics may be transported through different organisms in the aquatic ecosystem, i.e. via algae and animal plankton to larger fish. Tiny plastic particles in the water are eaten by animal plankton, which in turn are eaten by fish.
According to Cedervall, the study includes several interesting results on how plastic of different sizes affects aquatic organisms. Most importantly, it provides evidence that nanoplastic particles can indeed cross the blood-brain barrier in fish and thus accumulate inside fish’s brain tissue.
In addition, the researchers involved in the present study have demonstrated the occurrence of behavioural disorders in fish that are affected by nanoplastics. They eat slower and explore their surroundings less. The researchers believe that these behavioural changes may be linked to brain damage caused by the presence of nanoplastics in the brain.
Another result of the study is that animal plankton die when exposed to nanosized plastic particles, while larger plastic particles do not affect them. Overall, these different effects of nanoplastics may have an impact on the ecosystem as a whole.
“It is important to study how plastics affect ecosystems and that nanoplastic particles likely have a more dangerous impact on aquatic ecosystems than larger pieces of plastics”, says Tommy Cedervall.
However, he does not dare to draw the conclusion that plastic nanoparticles could accumulate in other tissues in fish and thus potentially be transmitted to humans through consumption.
“No, we are not aware of any such studies and are therefore very cautious about commenting on it”, says Tommy Cedervall.
Learn more:Â Brain damage in fish affected by plastic nanoparticles
The Latest on: Plastic nanoparticles
[google_news title=”” keyword=”plastic nanoparticles” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Plastic nanoparticles
- 'Everywhere We Looked We Found Evidence': The Godfather Of Microplastics On 20 Years Of Pollution Research And The Fight For Global Actionon May 3, 2024 at 7:33 am
It stipulated that“the quantities of plastic and microplastic should not cause harm in the marine environment”. We demonstrated that, if ingested, microplastics could transfer from the gut to the ...
- New process tackles pollution on dual fronts of plastic waste and fuel emissionson May 2, 2024 at 1:59 pm
What if we could help the global plastic waste problem and the transportation industry with the same technology? A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory is ...
- Nanotubes, nanoparticles and antibodies detect tiny amounts of fentanylon May 2, 2024 at 1:22 pm
A research team at the University of Pittsburgh led by Alexander Star, a chemistry professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has developed a fentanyl sensor that is six orders ...
- Activity in a room stirs up nanoparticles left over from consumer sprayson May 1, 2024 at 5:10 am
Common household products containing nanoparticles -- grains of engineered material so miniscule they are invisible to the eye -- could be contributing to a new form of indoor air pollution, according ...
- Plastic pollution talks make modest progress but sidestep production curbson April 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm
OTTAWA, April 30 (Reuters) - Negotiations on a future global treaty to tackle soaring plastic pollution ran overtime into Tuesday morning amid tense debates over whether the world should seek to ...
- What are microplastics doing to human health? Scientists work to connect the dotson April 26, 2024 at 1:01 am
People unknowingly ingest microplastics from what we eat, drink and breathe. Some scientists fear exposure to microplastics could increase vulnerability to heart disease, cancer and other illnesses.
- A Test Told Me I’m Basically Made of Plastic. You Probably Are Tooon April 25, 2024 at 6:53 am
I might like to think of my body as a thing of bone and blood and tissue and water, but as I recently learned, it’s also a thing of plastic—home to an alarming amount of plastic toxins known ...
- As treaty talks continue, new forecast predicts clouds with a 100% chance of plasticon April 24, 2024 at 1:43 pm
Mother Nature delivered a typical spring day Wednesday in Ottawa, with a morning of light drizzle fading into afternoon sunshine, near-freezing temperatures — and thousands of grams of plastic.
- A global study just revealed the world’s biggest known plastic polluterson April 24, 2024 at 11:00 am
Every year, companies produce more than 400 million metric tons of plastic. Some of that plastic spills onto waterways or beaches, clogging streams or floating in huge gyres in the ocean.
- Turning The Tide on Plastic Pollution Requires a Bold Global Effort | Opinionon April 24, 2024 at 6:12 am
We are at a tipping point. Plastic pollution is affecting planet, animal, and human health. We have hope that INC-4 stakeholders will take important steps toward solidifying a global treaty on plastic ...
via Bing News