|
New microplastics research
A range of new studies continue to demonstrate the vast extent of harm caused by microplastics. One study found higher amounts of plastic in placentas that had premature births than from those with full-term births. Another found plastic to be blocking the flow of blood in mice brains. Another recent study found microplastics in 99% of samples of different species of common seafood off the coast of the US state of Oregon. Unsurprisingly, polymer-based tea bags have also been found to produce high amounts micro and nano plastic. Similarly, microwaving take-out containers releases high amounts of plastics that can affect cardiovascular health. Another study found that microplastics in drinking water are smaller than EU detection limits.
More fires at plastic recycling facilities
Fires at plastic recycling facilities cause extremely toxic pollution and, unfortunately, happen regularly due to lax protocols and the fact that plastic is made from petrochemicals. The Last Beach Cleanup’s map of fires at plastic recycling facilities shows the shocking scale of the problem.
A huge fire broke out on 29 January at a massive warehouse leased by a Chinese businessman in the Ban Paew district of Samut Sakhon province of Thailand, as reported by The Nation. The facility, which is located directly next to shrimp and fish ponds, is suspected of having imported waste on-site and was allegedly operating illegally. Across the Pacific in the exporting country of the US, a large fire was reported by Eyewitness News in Bakersfield, California at a warehouse containing black plastic irrigation fittings slated to be exported. The video report of the fire noted that a similar fire occurred in another warehouse nearby just two months ago. In Cairo, Egypt, as reported by Egypttoday, around 10 January 2025 a major fire broke out on Shaker Tawfik Street in the Manshiyet Nasser neighborhood at four plastic waste sorting and recycling factories.
European Court of Human Rights’ landmark ruling on pollution
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 30 January that Italy had violated the right to life of those living in an area notorious for illegal municipal waste dumping by the mafia near Naples. Although the ruling did not directly address plastic, it has the potential to be used as a precedent in creative legal challenges regarding waste dumping in the future.
|
