article thumbnail

Navigating Europe’s restriction on microplastics

Envirotec Magazine

Legislators in Europe seem to be keeping a closer eye on microplastics, with the introduction of European Union (EU) Regulation 2023/2055 in September being a recent milestone. While microplastics are useful, scientists, governments and consumers now recognize them as a major threat to the environment.

article thumbnail

First Scotland-wide drugs and microplastics test of rivers launched

Envirotec Magazine

Environmental scientists at The James Hutton Institute have launched the first nation-wide drug and microplastics test on Scotland’s rivers to help shed light on the increasing mix of pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics entering our waters. The River Dee (image credit: The James Hutton Institute).

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Pathogens hitch a ride on plastic

Envirotec Magazine

Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a study from the University of California , Davis. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens.

Plastics 147
article thumbnail

Microplastics are in human testicles. It’s still not clear how they got there.

Grist

No human organ is safe from microplastic contamination, it seems — not even the testicles. Researchers at the University of Mexico recently tested 70 samples of testicular tissue — 47 from dogs and 23 from humans — and found microplastics in every single one. So how do the microplastics get into people’s bodies?

article thumbnail

Plastic chemicals are inescapable — and they’re messing with our hormones

Grist

If you were to create a recipe for plastics, you’d need a very big cookbook. Scientists know, for example, that at least 3,200 plastic chemicals pose risks to human health or the environment. These chemicals, released at every stage of the plastic life cycle , mimic hormones and interfere with the metabolic and reproductive systems.

Plastics 141
article thumbnail

How to Build and Retrofit a Sustainable Home

Green Business Bureau

RECYCLED PLASTIC. Recycled plastic used in construction offers a building material that has a lower carbon footprint and is stronger than brick, all while tackling our plastic waste problem ( 367 million metric tons produced globally in 2020). Recycled plastic. Recycled-plastic roofing shingles. Recycled steel.

article thumbnail

Study finds more microplastic in baby poop than in adult

AGreenLiving

In a recent study published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology Letters, scientists found 10 times more microplastic in babies’ feces than in adults’ Researchers discovered this in a pilot study that involved sifting through infants’ used diapers.