Statement Over Documentary Seaspiracy
By now you may have seen Seaspiracy, a new and shocking documentary about commercial fishing, but also about plastic pollution. We can imagine that this raises many questions, perhaps about us as well.
870.000 euros for research into ‘nanoplastic soup’
Scientists from Utrecht University and Wageningen UR will work together to develop new methods to learn more about plastic pollution, especially focused on Dutch waterways that are polluted with small plastic particles. STW Technology Foundation is investing 650,000 euros in this research, called Technologies for the Risk Assessment of MicroPlastics (TRAMP), and a broad consortium of research partners is contributing with 220,000 euros.
This project will work for the next four years to answer the questions of how to measure plastic nanoparticles, whether Dutch freshwater areas are polluted with them, and how to determine the harmfulness. The researchers want to develop mathematical models to predict if there is a relationship between plastic pollution and the production of plastics.
“We see a big necessity for more clarity in plastic pollution,” says Professor Bart Koelmans, leading the project at Wageningen UR. “Many people want to know how big the problem is, why plastic particles could be dangerous and what role do they play in the Netherlands.” Together with Prof. Annemarie van Wezel’s research group, affiliated with the Utrecht University and KWR Water Cycle Research Institute, Koelmans expects the TRAMP project to gain more insight.
Harmful substances
For nearly two decades scientists have seen see all kinds of wetlands, particularly oceans, contaminated with plastic. The consequences for marine life are clearly visible. Animals entangle in nets and plastic threads, or get malnourished because they ingest them instead of food. The consequences of plastic nanoparticles, which are too small to be seen with a standard microscope, however, are largely unknown. The particles are formed when plastic in the environment slowly disintegrates into smaller and smaller pieces. This happens not only in sea water but also in fresh water.
Scientists suspect that such “nanoplastics” entail huge health risks. One possible danger is that nanoplastics accumulate in plants or animals, and eventually end up in our food chain. Additionally, nanoplastics are easy pollutants that will easily bind and then release as soon as they enter our bodies.
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