Microplastic Pollution Is Messing with Photosynthesis in Plants: Report

Study shows how microplastic pollution is impacting plant growth

A new study finds that microplastic pollution reduces plant photosynthesis, threatening global food security and worsening climate change. Researchers warn this could lead to major crop losses and disrupt ecosystems.

Microplastics Are Making Photosynthesis Harder for Plants—and That Could Slash Crop Yields, Study Suggests

On average, these little particles could reduce photosynthesis in plants and algae by up to 12 percent, according to the paper

It’s Raining Microplastics and Forever Chemicals

Other than having an extremely metal name, acid rain was once a major concern for folks in what we can now consider the distant past of American history—the 1970s until about the mid-90s. It was a genuine problem where polluted rain fueled by emissions from coal plants and car exhaust would kill off plant and animal life. Politically, there was more cooperation back then. There was once a point in American history when Republicans would do somet…

Scientists make alarming discovery about health risks for people living near roadways: 'High uncertainties'

Research conducted in the Philippines reveals high levels of microplastics in urban road dust, which poses serious health risks for anyone in the area.  What's happening? A study conducted by researchers from the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology and published in The Philippine Journal of Science found road dust microplastics on city roads. The microplastics were found in dust samples collected from three different station…

World-first analysis of seabirds who’ve eaten plastic reveals slow, insidious health impacts

Ingested plastic recovered from one of the shearwater chicks included in the study. Jennifer LaversWe all know microplastics are bad for the environment and our health, but do we really know how bad? Our new study, published this week in the journal Science Advances, compared changes in 745 proteins found in seabirds with and without plastics in their stomachs. We focused on young sable shearwaters (seabirds, Ardenna carneipes). They were less t…

PlasticHeal project sheds light on hidden health effects of nanoplastics

Microplastics and nanoplastics, two of the smallest and most invisible forms of plastic pollution, may pose risks to human health.