Greenpeace: Plastic, Chemical 
		Pollution Widespread in Antarctica 
		 
		The non-governmental environmental group Greenpeace reports that plastic 
		and chemical pollution is often found in snow and seawater collected by 
		researchers in Antarctica.  
		 
		Greenpeace said its scientists gathered water and snow samples from 
		Antarctica during a visit between January to March of this year. 
		Laboratory tests confirmed the effect of humanity on the continent. 
		 
		“It was about one microplastic piece at least per liter. When you think 
		of extrapolating that out to the scale or the Antarctic Ocean, it’s 
		really, really significant,” said Greenpeace’s Louisa Casson. 
		 
		She noted that, in the past, scientists thought the currents around the 
		Antarctic Ocean might protect it from plastic pollution found in much of 
		the world’s oceans. But now, she said, evidence is increasingly showing 
		that there might be little, if any, protection. 
		 
		Microplastics are extremely small particles of plastic. They come from 
		the breakdown of bottles and other plastic waste in the world’s oceans. 
		 
		In addition to microplastics, the Greenpeace study also confirmed the 
		presence of chemicals known as per- and polyfluorinated alkylated 
		substances. These chemicals are widely used in industrial processes, and 
		have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems for wildlife. 
		 
		“This just strengthens the rationale for why we need to be taking action 
		on land to stop that flow of plastic into the ocean, but also creating 
		huge ocean sanctuaries at sea to allow wildlife to recover from these 
		pressures,” Casson said. 
		 
		The United Nations estimates that 8 million tons of plastic are dropped 
		into the oceans every year. Plastic has been shown to harm wildlife. 
		 
		An example of this happened several days ago in southern Thailand. That 
		was when a pilot whale died after swallowing 80 pieces of plastic waste. 
		Tests showed the waste weighed about eight kilograms.  
		 
		International concern about plastic pollution is rising. In India, Prime 
		Minister Narendra Modi recently promised to ban all single-use plastic 
		by 2022. In the city of Mumbai, Bollywood movie stars have been taking 
		part in waste clean-up activities at Versova beach. 
		 
		Actress Abigail Pande told reporters she was surprised at the amount of 
		waste she found. 
		 
		“I am having fun (cleaning this place). But it is also very sad because 
		once I came here, I got to know that the amount of waste is so high that 
		if you dig the ground four feet, you will still find plastic inside. And 
		it will take years to properly clean the beach,” Pande said. 
		 
		Plastic has now been found in every corner of the world’s oceans, from 
		the bottom of the Pacific Mariana Trench to Antarctica. 
		 
		In October, world governments will decide on a European Union proposal 
		to create an Antarctic Ocean sanctuary. At 1.8 million square 
		kilometers, the sanctuary would be the largest protected area on Earth. |