I have already looked at the possible danger from drinking water from plastic bottles – and absorbing pthalates. A new study has identified that plastics, present in huge amounts in the sea, break down much faster than previously thought producing other dangerous chemicals.
The scale of plastic pollution is absolutely huge. The largest reported collection of plastics in the sea is in the north Pacific and is larger than the state of Texas. Yes – that’s right.
The chemicals produced include ‘bisphenol A’ which has already been said to disrupt hormones in animals.
Another chemical, ‘styrene monomer’, released by decaying polystyrene, is known to cause cancer.
The sooner we cut down dramatically on the use of plastics the better.
