Studies find red, blue and green plastic decomposes into microplastic particles faster than plainer colours

Studies find red, blue and green plastic decomposes into microplastic particles faster than plainer colours

Retailers are being urged to stop making everyday products such as drinks bottles, outdoor furniture and toys out of brightly coloured plastic after researchers found it degrades into microplastics faster than plainer colours.

Red, blue and green plastic became “very brittle and fragmented”, while black, white and silver samples were “largely unaffected” over a three-year period, according to the findings of the University of Leicester-led project.

The scale of environmental pollution caused by plastic waste means that microplastics, or tiny plastic particles, are everywhere. Indeed, they were recently found in human testicles, with scientists suggesting a possible link to declining sperm counts in men.

  • pearsaltchocolatebar
    81·
    6 months ago

    Burning and breaking down are two different things.

    Microplastics will last for thousands of years, so unless the less colorful plastics take thousands of years to break down to the point of bright ones, the difference is irrelevant.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
      13·
      6 months ago

      It’s just so silly though. You’re dismissing the uncountable number of people absorbing unknowable amounts of micro plastics over the next few decades as unimportant.

      Not only do we want to reduce exposure in the near term, we may find a way to effectively remove micro plastics from the environment in the future, so no, it’s not settled that releasing as many micro plastics as possible is fine as long as it would happen eventually anyhow