SHAPE THE WORLD AROUND YOU

Bloodcurdling microplastic facts we’ve recently learned.

Millions of tons of plastic enter marine and terrestrial ecosystems every year, and quantities are expected to increase in the coming years. Over time, plastic items can break down into smaller pieces, known as microplastics. They can be the size of a rice grain or even smaller, making them easy to be ingested by sea creatures. These very small pieces take centuries or more to truly go away.

我們最近了解到一些令人毛骨悚然的微塑膠真相。每年有數百萬噸塑膠進入海洋和陸地生態系統，預計未來幾年數量還會增加。隨著時間的推移，塑膠製品會分解成更小的碎片，即所謂的微塑膠。它們的大小可以只有米粒甚至更小，因此很容易被海洋生物吞食。這些非常小的碎片需要幾個世紀甚至更長時間才能真正消失。

Microplastics are all over the seafloor.

The world’s seafloor is filled with over 14 million tons of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to a study. It’s the first global estimate of sea-floor microplastics and the amount registered is 25 times greater than that shown by previous localized studies.

The researchers used a robotic submarine to collect samples of deep-sea sediments up to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) deep from six sites in the Great Australian Bight, 380 kilometers off the coast. They analyzed 51 samples and found an average of 1.26 microplastic pieces per gram of sediment, much more than previous studies.

微塑膠遍布海底。一項研究表明，全球海底充斥著超過1400萬噸的微塑料，這些塑料是由每年進入海洋的大量垃圾分解而成的。這是首次對全球海底微塑膠的估算，記錄的數量是先前局部研究結果的25倍。

研究人員使用機器人潛水艇在距離海岸380公里的大澳大利亞灣的六個地點採集了深達3000公尺（9800英尺）的深海沉積物樣本。他們分析了51個樣本，發現平均每克沉積物含有1.26個微塑膠碎片，遠高於先前的研究結果。

Washing clothes is releasing microplastics into the environment.

Researchers found that nearly three-quarters of the microplastics in the Arctic seawater were polyester fibers, which are most likely coming from textiles manufacturing and household laundry. They gathered near-surface seawater samples from a 19,000-kilometer section from the city of Tromso in Norway to the North Pole.

The researchers looked at samples up to a depth of around 1,000 meters. All had microplastics except one, which shows the extent of the problem. Synthetic fibers accounted for 92% of plastic pollution. Of this, 73% was polyester, which resembles the dimensions and chemical identities of synthetic textiles, the researchers argued.

洗衣服會向環境釋放微塑膠。研究人員發現，北極海水中近四分之三的微塑膠是聚酯纖維，這些纖維很可能來自紡織品製造和家庭洗衣。他們從挪威特羅姆瑟市到北極點的19,000公里海域採集了近地表海水樣本。

研究人員檢測了深達約1000公尺的樣本。除一個樣本外，所有樣本都含有微塑料，這顯示了問題的嚴重程度。合成纖維佔塑膠污染的92%。研究人員認為，其中73%是聚酯纖維，其尺寸和化學性質與合成紡織品相似。

They’re everywhere: from the deep oceans to Everest.

Microplastics are associated with ocean pollution, but a study showed that the tiny plastic fragments are literally everywhere, including the summit of the highest mountain on Earth. Researchers analyzed snow and stream samples from Mount Everest, finding the first evidence of microplastic pollution on a mountain.

The research revealed significant quantities of polyester, acrylic, nylon, and polypropylene fibers. It’s no coincidence that the same materials are embedded in the outdoor clothing climbers use, as well as tents and climbing ropes. The highest concentration of microplastics was found around Base Camp, an area at the foot of Mt. Everest.

它們無所不在：從深海到珠穆朗瑪峰。微塑膠與海洋污染有關，但一項研究表明，這些微小的塑膠碎片幾乎無所不在，包括地球最高峰的峰頂。研究人員分析了珠穆朗瑪峰的雪和溪流樣本，首次發現了山峰有微塑膠污染的證據。

研究發現，這些材料含有大量的聚酯纖維、腈綸纖維、尼龍纖維和聚丙烯纖維。登山者使用的戶外服裝、帳篷和登山繩中也含有這些材料，絕非巧合。珠穆朗瑪峰大本營附近（位於山腳下）的微塑膠濃度最高。

Your coffee comes with a side of microplastics.

A study found that plastic cups might be leaking microplastics into your coffee or tea. An average person drinking three regular cups of tea or coffee daily, in a paper cup, would be ingesting 75,000 tiny microplastic particles. Disposable paper cups are made of 90–95% paper, and the remaining is a hydrophobic plastic film.

The researchers poured hot water into the disposable paper cups and allowed it to sit for 15 minutes. The water was then analyzed for the presence of microplastics as well as additional ions that may have leached into the liquid from the paper cup. They also looked at the changes experienced in the properties of the plastic films of the cup.

你的咖啡可能含有微塑膠。一項研究發現，塑膠杯可能會將微塑膠滲入你的咖啡或茶中。一般人每天用紙杯喝三杯普通的茶或咖啡，就會攝取75,000個微小的微塑膠顆粒。一次性紙杯的成分中90%到95%是紙，其餘部分是疏水塑膠薄膜。

研究人員將熱水倒入一次性紙杯中，靜置15分鐘。然後分析水中是否存在微塑膠以及可能從紙杯中滲入液體的其他離子。他們也觀察了杯子塑膠薄膜性質的變化。

They’re even in the sea breeze.

A study suggests that plastic particles can transfer from seawater to the atmosphere and get carried away by the breeze. Researchers found fragments of plastics in sea spray, suggesting that they are ejected from the seawater in the form of “bubbles.” They captured water droplets from sea spray at Mimizan beach in Aquitaine, using a “cloud catcher.”

The microplastics in sea spray ranged between 5 and 140 micrometers in size. The researchers estimated that up to 136,000 tons of microplastics could be blown onshore by sea spray every year. This microplastic is the result of mismanaged waste that comes from the terrestrial environment.

它們甚至存在於海風中。一項研究表明，塑膠顆粒可以從海水轉移到大氣中，並被海風吹走。研究人員在海浪中發現了塑膠碎片，這表明它們以「氣泡」的形式從海水中噴出。他們在阿基坦大區的米米藏海灘使用「雲捕手」捕獲了海浪中的水滴。

海浪中的微塑膠大小在5到140微米之間。研究人員估計，每年多達13.6萬噸的微塑膠可能被海浪吹到岸上。這些微塑膠是陸地環境中管理不善的廢棄物造成的。

Researchers found microplastics in the placentas of unborn babies.

It’s a true testament that microplastics really are everywhere. Plastic particles were found in the placentas from four healthy women who had normal pregnancies and births, a study showed. Only about 4% of each placenta was analyzed, however, suggesting that the total number of microplastics could actually be much higher.

While the health impact of the microplastics in the body is still unknown, the researchers believe the particles could bring dangerous chemicals into the body – leading to long-term damage or upsetting the fetus’s developing immune system. The particles are likely to have been consumed or breathed in by the mothers, the researchers argued.

研究人員在未出生嬰兒的胎盤中發現了微塑膠。這充分證明了微塑膠無所不在。一項研究顯示，在四名懷孕期間和分娩都正常的健康女性的胎盤中發現了塑膠顆粒。然而，研究人員只分析了每個胎盤約4%的樣本，這表明微塑膠的總量實際上可能要高得多。

雖然微塑膠對人體健康的影響尚不清楚，但研究人員認為，這些顆粒可能會將危險的化學物質帶入體內，導致長期損害或擾亂胎兒正在發育的免疫系統。研究人員認為，這些顆粒很可能是被母親攝入或吸入的。

The US and the UK, largely behind pollution.

Not every country produces the same level of plastic pollution — per capita, the US and the UK are producing more plastic waste per person than any other major country, according to a study. The researchers found the US produces the most plastic waste in total and its citizens rank as high as third in the world in contributing to plastic pollution.

Using data from 2016, the latest available, the study found more than half of the plastic collected for recycling in the US was shipped abroad, mostly to countries already struggling to manage plastic waste effectively. The researchers said years of exporting had masked the US’s enormous contribution to plastic pollution, calling for larger efforts by the US.

美國和英國，污染嚴重。並非所有國家產生的塑膠污染程度都相同——一項研究表明，以人均計算，美國和英國的人均塑膠垃圾排放量超過其他任何主要國家。研究人員發現，美國產生的塑膠垃圾總量最多，其公民對塑膠污染的貢獻率位居世界第三。

該研究使用2016年的最新數據發現，美國回收的塑膠中有一半以上被運往國外，其中大部分運往了那些已經難以有效管理塑膠垃圾的國家。研究人員表示，多年的出口掩蓋了美國對塑膠污染的巨大貢獻，並呼籲美國加大力度。

A crustacean could break down microplastics in days.

A small crustacean from Ireland was found to fragment plastics into tiny particles in just a matter of days, much faster than previously estimated, a study showed. This highlights the potential of freshwater and marine species to rapidly fragment microplastics and offers a potential solution to this plastic crisis.

Researchers at the University College Cork in Ireland found that a “very common” crustacean, called Gammarus duebeni, which can be found on Irish streams, can break down microplastics (smaller than 5 mm) in less than 100 hours and turn them into nanoplastics — pieces that measure less than one micrometer. However, it’s still unclear whether this has any significance for microplastics at a planetary scale.

甲殼類動物可在幾天內分解微塑膠。一項研究表明，一種來自愛爾蘭的小型甲殼類動物能夠在短短幾天內將塑膠分解成微小顆粒，速度遠遠超過先前的估計。這凸顯了淡水和海洋物種快速分解微塑膠的潛力，並為解決這場塑膠危機提供了潛在的解決方案。

愛爾蘭科克大學的研究人員發現，一種名為Gammarus duebeni的「非常常見」的甲殼類動物（常見於愛爾蘭的溪流中）能夠在不到100小時內分解微塑料（小於5毫米），並將其轉化為奈米塑料——尺寸小於1微米的碎片。然而，目前尚不清楚這對全球尺度的微塑膠是否具有重要意義。

Microplastics are polluting agricultural land.

Microplastics are contaminating agricultural land as well as the oceans, affecting the interaction between the soil and the plants, according to a recent study. The amount varied according to the agricultural practice used by the farmers and probably affects all soil organisms. Soils from outside and inside a greenhouse had the largest amount.

The potential sources of microplastics in the agricultural environments include sewage sludge, compost, irrigation of wastewater, road runoff, atmospheric deposition, and plastics in agricultural practice. Microplastic can also come from organic fertilizer from biowaste. Between 107,000 to 730,000 tons of microplastics are dumped onto agricultural soils in the U.S. and Europe every year, previous studies showed.

微塑膠正在污染農田。最近的一項研究表明，微塑膠正在污染農田和海洋，影響土壤與植物之間的相互作用。微塑膠的含量因農民的農業實踐而異，可能影響所有土壤生物。溫室內外土壤的微塑膠含量最高。

農業環境中微塑膠的潛在來源包括污水污泥、堆肥、廢水灌溉、道路徑流、大氣沉降、農業生產中的塑膠。微塑膠也可能來自生物廢棄物物中的有機肥料。先前的研究表明，每年有10.7萬至73萬噸微塑膠被傾倒在美國和歐洲的農業土壤上。