The Swiss organization Environmental Action conducted a study that showed that paint particles make up 58% of all microplastics that enter the oceans. Previous studies have shown that the proportion of ink in microplastics ranged from 9 to 21%.
Representatives of Environmental Action report that about 1.9 million tons of paint enters the oceans and waterways annually. This is significantly more than any other source of microplastics, such as tire dust and textile fibers, produces. The paint contains plastic polymers that are released into the environment as a result of application to objects, their wear and removal of particles from the surface.
The researchers emphasize that paint causes significant harm to the environment if it is not disposed of safely and cleanly. According to experts, about 37% of painto water bodies are due to improper waste management, and 18% are the result of wear and tear or maintenance of commercial ships and offshore drilling rigs.
The customer of the study, the Norwegian company Pinovo, reports that the activity of each oil rig leads to the release of 1.1 tons of microplastics and 260 kg of heavy metals into the ocean annually. This is comparable to dumping over 100,000 plastic bottles.
The study shows that global paint leakage rates vary by geographic location. In the Asia-Pacific region, the share of paint in microplastics is 54%, and off the coast of North America - 22%.
The construction sector is the leader in the number of painto the oceans, its share is 48%. The least amount of paint comes from the application of road markings - 2%.
Environmental Action founder Julien Boucher says the study aims to raise awareness and knowledge about the effects of paint on microplastics in the ocean in order to improve the polymer application system. Pinovo Chairman Declan McAdams said the study's findings should be a notice to the paint industry. He adds that the industry needs a systemic change in how paint is used.
In October last year, scientists at the Swedish Chalmers University of Technology published a paper that contained an analysis of the ability of microorganisms to process plastic. Researchers have found that every fourth microbe or bacterium has one or more enzymes to do this.
Earlier this month, researchers from the Hellenic Center for Marine Research's Institute of Oceanography and the National University of Kapodistrias of Athens created a computer model of the pathways of plastic from land-based sources into the Mediterranean Sea. Scientists have found that there are about 3.76 thousand tons of plastic in the reservoir.
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