Groundbreaking research shows Plastic penetrates our brain through the nose
A groundbreaking study by the University of Sao Paulo has shown for the first time how plastic can penetrate the human brain.
Microbeads turn fish into toxic food
For the first time there is hard evidence that sorbed pollutants from microbeads used in a specific commercial facial cleanser can transfer to fish if ingested. Australian researchers at RMIT University found that fish can absorb up to 12.5% of the pollutants contained in microbeads. The tests were done on rainbow fish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis). In the tests,
- fish consumed microbeads that had been spiked with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in levels that mimic real circumstances;
- the fishes’ tissue was tested after 21 days and compared to the control group;
- the tests revealed that 12.5% of the PBDEs had leached into the tissue of the fish.
Fish rarely discriminate between food and plastic when swimming in environments that are polluted with billions of microbeads. It is already known that plastic particles in water act as magnets for pollutants, “by factors up to 1 million times”. One issue of concern is whether the toxins released from ingested particles can enter the tissue of fish, which we then eat. The Australian study is published in Environmental Science and Technology. One of the team’s questions for future research is to determine the implications for public health by “precisely measuring how much pollution could be entering this human food chain”, lead investigator Bradley Clarke told Science Alert.
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Our health is seriously damaged by plastic and the chemicals in it
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FUTURE FABRICS EXPO LONDEN
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IN MEMORIAM – Dick Vethaak
On June two, 2024, Professor Dick Vethaak passed away. With him is lost a great and progressive scientist, but above all, a wonderful husband and father.
