Microplastic debris is ubiquitous in the sand in beaches in Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁) area, and could become a transmission channel for bacteria, marine biologists have warned.
The microplastics found in Kenting sand have an average density of 200 microplastic particles per kilogram, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium deputy director Chen Te-hao (陳德豪) told reporters on Thursday, citing surveys conducted by the museum.
The microplastics might become new channels for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria and antibody-resistant bacteria, he said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
Examining feces samples of fish and sea turtles, researchers have found that 95 percent of fish have an average of up to 5 microplastic pieces, but 100 percent of sea turtles had ingested such debris, he said.
The impact of microplastics on the health of the marine creatures remains unclear, he added.
Ho Ying-ning (何攖寧), an assistant professor of marine biology at National Taiwan Ocean University, said that nearly 8 million tonnes of plastic garbage enter the ocean every year, including 86 percent in the seas in Asia.
The low decomposability of plastic garbage makes it a condensed carrier of pathogens, he said.
A 2001 study by the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology showed substances with microplastics can absorb organic pollutants 10 to 1 million times in density more than common seawater, he said.
Gong Gwo-ching (龔國慶), a professor at the school’s Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, said a survey conducted by the R/V Ocean Researcher II in September last year found that 1,000 tonnes of Kuroshio seawater contained 50 pieces of microplastics measuring 1 millimeter to 5 millimeters.
The concentration of microplastics in seawater was found to increase by five times when the Kuroshio current flowed by the coast of Taitung County, he said.
Hsu Ruey-feng (許瑞?), an assistant professor at the school, said 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are absorbed by the ocean, while plant plankton in the ocean emit proteins and hydrocarbons and form sticky substances that attach to the feces of marine life, becoming carriers for carbon dioxide storage at ocean bottoms.
A joint survey by the school and the University of California found microplastics make plant plankton emit more polymers and attract more pollutants, making them hard to sink and therefore more likely to enter the food chain, he added.
To reduce plastic pollution in the ocean, Taiwan’s government should encourage the use and certification of materials that can decompose in seawater, said Chou Kuei-tien (周桂田), a professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development.
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