UNEP YEAR BOOK 201120 Antarctic fur seal entangled in plastic sheeting. Credit: British Antarctic Survey 21PLASTIC DEBRIS IN THE OCEAN
are generally considered to be plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres in diameter (Arthur et al. 2009). Persistent, bio-accumulating and toxic substances (PBTs) have a range of chronic health effects, including endocrine disruption, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. A subset is regulated under...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.691.5994 http://www.unep.org/yearbook/2011/pdfs/plastic_debris_in_the_ocean.pdf |
| Summary: | are generally considered to be plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres in diameter (Arthur et al. 2009). Persistent, bio-accumulating and toxic substances (PBTs) have a range of chronic health effects, including endocrine disruption, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. A subset is regulated under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The ocean has become a global repository for much of the waste we generate. Marine debris includes timber, glass, metal and plastic from many different sources. Recently, the accumulation and possible impacts of microplastic particles in the ocean have been recognized as an emerging environmental issue. Some scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of releases of persistent bioaccumulating and toxic compounds (PBTs) from plastic debris. At the same time, the fishing and tourism |
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