Over the last 20 years, microplastics have been gaining ground, taking over every corner of the oceans and posing a threat to thousands of marine species and birds, as well as to humans.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres in diameter that can become microscopic particles and pollute the environment. As plastics are so small, even often unnoticed by the human eye, wind and rain make them easily fall into the sea.
We can classify microplastics into two categories according to their origin.
Primary microplastics:
It's those plastic particles that have been specifically made to that tiny size. They are usually used in detergents or cosmetics such as exfoliating creams, sunscreens, toothpaste...
Secondary microplastics:
Secondary microplastics are those that originally had dimensions greater than 5mm, but have ended up becoming small pieces of plastic either due to wear and tear as when washing synthetic clothes, the rubbing of tyres with asphalt... or due to the degradation of objects such as filters for cigarettes, bags, straws, bottles, fishing nets... For this reason, most plastics end up in the oceans, however large they may be; with erosion, the sun and microorganisms degrade plastics into microscopic particles over the years.
Considering that only 9% of plastics are recycled worldwide, the other 91% are doomed over time to become microplastics whose impact, due to their dimensions, is even more damaging than a simple plastic object.
Microplastics in the oceans
Although many people may think that the pollution of plastics in the seas is a matter for third world countries, the data disprove this false belief. The Mediterranean Sea represents only 1% of the planet's water, yet it accumulates 7% of all microplastics found in the oceans.
According to data estimated in 2019 by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) the origin of microplastics found in the oceans corresponds to
- Synthetic textile: 35
- Tyres: 28%
- City Dust: 24%.
- Marine signs: 7%
- Marine coatings: 3,7%
- Personal care products: 2%
- Plastic granules: 0.3%.
In this first article on microplastics you have learned what they are and how they are classified according to their origin, but it is a topic that gives much to deepen and we will discuss in more detail. Subscribe to our Newsletter and don't miss the second part of the article along with other interesting topics.