Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
NUS marine scientists find toxic bacteria on microplastics retrieved from tropical waters
https://news.nus.edu.sg/press-releases/toxic-bacteria-on-microplastics-tropicalNUS marine scientists find toxic bacteria on microplastics retrieved from tropical waters
11 February 2019 | Research
When these tiny pieces of plastics are ingested by marine organisms, they may accumulate and be transferred up the food chain
A field survey conducted by a team of marine scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has uncovered toxic bacteria living on the surfaces of microplastics, which are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres in size, collected from the coastal areas of Singapore. These bacteria are capable of causing coral bleaching, and triggering wound infections in humans.
The NUS team also discovered a diversity of bacteria, including useful organisms – such as those that can degrade marine pollutants like hydrocarbons – in the plastic waste.
Dr Sandric Leong, research lead and Senior Research Fellow at the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), said, “Microplastics form a large proportion of plastic pollution in marine environments. Marine organisms may consume bits of microplastics unintentionally, and this could lead to the accumulation and subsequent transfer of marine pathogens in the food chain. Hence, understanding the distribution of microplastics and identifying the organisms attached to them are crucial steps in managing the plastic pollution on a national and global scale.”
This study is the first to examine the bacterial community on microplastics found in tropical coastal regions. The results were first published in the journal Science of the Total Environment on 17 November 2018.
…
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.25011 February 2019 | Research
When these tiny pieces of plastics are ingested by marine organisms, they may accumulate and be transferred up the food chain
A field survey conducted by a team of marine scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has uncovered toxic bacteria living on the surfaces of microplastics, which are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres in size, collected from the coastal areas of Singapore. These bacteria are capable of causing coral bleaching, and triggering wound infections in humans.
The NUS team also discovered a diversity of bacteria, including useful organisms – such as those that can degrade marine pollutants like hydrocarbons – in the plastic waste.
Dr Sandric Leong, research lead and Senior Research Fellow at the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), said, “Microplastics form a large proportion of plastic pollution in marine environments. Marine organisms may consume bits of microplastics unintentionally, and this could lead to the accumulation and subsequent transfer of marine pathogens in the food chain. Hence, understanding the distribution of microplastics and identifying the organisms attached to them are crucial steps in managing the plastic pollution on a national and global scale.”
This study is the first to examine the bacterial community on microplastics found in tropical coastal regions. The results were first published in the journal Science of the Total Environment on 17 November 2018.
…
