American scientists from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have discovered that microscopic zooplankton can rapidly increase marine and freshwater pollution with nanoplastic particles less than one micron in size. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Nanotechnology (Nnano).
Experts have found that rotifers, tiny single-celled creatures found around the world, break down microplastics into smaller, more dangerous pieces. It turns out that all rotifers can absorb and break down microplastics up to 10 micrometers in size and then release hundreds of thousands of nanoplastic particles back into the environment. A rotifer can produce between 384 thousand and 366 thousand units of nanoplastics per day.
Thus, in Poyang, China’s largest freshwater lake, rotifers produce 13.3 quadrillion new nanoplastic particles every day.
According to scientists, if we expand this scale to oceans and all bodies of water where rotifers live, the amount of nanoplastic pollution they produce will be staggering.
“We are the first to discover the widespread degradation of microplastics by rotifers. It is known that nanoplastics are not only potentially toxic to various organisms, but can also act as carriers of other pollutants in the environment. Additionally, the release of chemical additives in the plastic may increase during and after degradation,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Jian Zhao.
Previous scientists I learnedMicroplastics are moving from the oceans into the atmosphere.