Apr 21, 2025 06:33 PM
(This post was last modified: Apr 22, 2025 03:52 PM by C C.)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1081207
INTRO: Microplastics, tiny plastic particles found in everyday products from face wash to toothpaste, are an emerging threat to health and ecology, prompting a research team to identify what keeps them trapped in stream ecosystems.
Everyday actions like washing synthetic clothing and driving, which wears down tires, contribute to an accumulation of microplastics in environments from city dust to waterways. These plastics often carry toxic chemicals that can threaten the health of humans and wildlife.
“We are the key source of microplastics,” said Shannon Speir, assistant professor and researcher in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, and for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Microplastics are unique in size, structure and weight, Speir said. They measure less than five millimeters across and can be round, as found in some face washes and toothpastes, or they can be string-like fibers like the tiny particles that can shed while laundering synthetic clothing materials such as polyester or nylon. Eventually, these microplastics can end up in rivers and oceans.
These differing sizes and shapes make microplastic movement more complex, leading Speir to join a team of researchers in examining what factors lead to their being trapped in streams. The research team’s study, “Transport and retention of microplastic fibers in streams are impacted by benthic algae, discharge, and substrate,” was published in Limnology and Oceanography in February.
Speir noted that scientists have only realized the scope and magnitude of the problem microplastics pose in the last decade.
The study explains that microplastics in streams are concerning because they can be ingested by aquatic organisms, posing threats to their digestion and fertility — all while easily spreading given their small size and exposing wildlife and humans alike to the toxins they can carry... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: Microplastics, tiny plastic particles found in everyday products from face wash to toothpaste, are an emerging threat to health and ecology, prompting a research team to identify what keeps them trapped in stream ecosystems.
Everyday actions like washing synthetic clothing and driving, which wears down tires, contribute to an accumulation of microplastics in environments from city dust to waterways. These plastics often carry toxic chemicals that can threaten the health of humans and wildlife.
“We are the key source of microplastics,” said Shannon Speir, assistant professor and researcher in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, and for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Microplastics are unique in size, structure and weight, Speir said. They measure less than five millimeters across and can be round, as found in some face washes and toothpastes, or they can be string-like fibers like the tiny particles that can shed while laundering synthetic clothing materials such as polyester or nylon. Eventually, these microplastics can end up in rivers and oceans.
These differing sizes and shapes make microplastic movement more complex, leading Speir to join a team of researchers in examining what factors lead to their being trapped in streams. The research team’s study, “Transport and retention of microplastic fibers in streams are impacted by benthic algae, discharge, and substrate,” was published in Limnology and Oceanography in February.
Speir noted that scientists have only realized the scope and magnitude of the problem microplastics pose in the last decade.
The study explains that microplastics in streams are concerning because they can be ingested by aquatic organisms, posing threats to their digestion and fertility — all while easily spreading given their small size and exposing wildlife and humans alike to the toxins they can carry... (MORE - details, no ads)