How would you feel if you added a hearty dose of plastic to your diet? Were guessing youd probably feel sluggish or maybe a little less capable of doing your best work - just like the humble lugworm: The earthworms of the sea, lugworms provide another important ecosystem service by turning over large volumes of sand, replenishing organic material and oxygenating the upper layers to keep the sediment healthy for other animals and microorganisms to thrive in. The problem is that plastic pollution hampers their ability to do their work. Many plastics contain chemical additives, such as plasticisers, dyes, and antimicrobials, which can leach out into sediments and seawater. Microplastics also concentrate water-borne chemicals on their surfaces, such as pesticides and detergents. Read the full article: theguardian/environment/2013/dec/02/microplastic-pollution-harms-lugworms-sea-oceans #RiseAbovePlastics
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 23:09:24 +0000