Plastic Decomposes at Sea, Study Says

(AP)  Environmentalists have long denounced plastic as a long-lasting pollutant that does not break down. A new study indicates that, in the oceans, plastic does decompose, but says that is not a good thing either.

Thousands of tons of plastic debris wind up in the oceans every year, some of it washing up on coasts, some being swirled by currents into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between California and Hawaii, said to be larger than Texas.

"Plastics in daily use are generally assumed to be quite stable," Katsuhiko Saido, a chemist at Nihon University, Chiba, Japan, said in a statement.

"We found that plastic in the ocean actually decomposes as it is exposed to the rain and sun and other environmental conditions, giving rise to yet another source of global contamination that will continue into the future," said Saido, who presented his findings at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society on Wednesday.

Saido reported that the decomposing plastics release potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A and PS oligomer, which can disrupt the functioning of hormones in animals.

[daisyjingles]

Would there be a way to take all the annnoying plastic peanuts we have from shipping boxes, coat them with something to stop decomposition and combine them in the sea on a sturdy structure that polar bears could sit on to find food and which could decease global warming? The light surface would reflect the sun rather than absorb its rays the way dark seaa water does and it would still permit creatures a home in the sea to live.

[babooph]

Thanks for the insight-I never realized all that plastic on the ocean floor was subject to the rain & sun.

[r_mcdonald1]

IF this is a proven fact, then handling plastics on land can be accomplished with large holding tanks in areas of extreme sun, filled with sea water and stirred. Fresh water can be sprayed to simulate a rain to enhance decomposition.

OR - they can mandate recycling and use the plastics to manufacture new products. Which, is already proven technology.