Toxic chemicals used to flame-proof plastic materials can be absorbed into the body through skin, via contact with microplastics, new research shows.

New research from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and the University of Toronto in Canada, estimates up to eleven million tonnes of plastic pollution is sitting on the ocean floor.

Researchers have revealed that microplastics from natural fertilizers in agricultural fields get picked up by the wind more easily than similarly sized dust particles. This shows that microplastics could become airborne.

As microplastics increasingly permeate our natural environment, understanding their complex relationship with harmful chemicals becomes crucial. Through state-of-the-art techniques, a team of scientists achieves groundbreaking insights, aiming to reshape our approach to pollution control and environmental preservation.

Materi-8 Project is an innovation project which has been awarded 1.5 million euros as part of an international competition. The project aims to develop a portable facility that can convert waste into chemicals.

Everywhere scientists look for microplastics, they’ve found them — food, water, air and some parts of the human body. Now, in a pilot study of people who underwent heart surgery, researchers in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology report that they have found microplastics in many heart tissues.

Pouring flecks of rust into water usually makes it dirtier. But researchers of German FAU University have developed special iron oxide nanoparticles they call “smart rust” that actually makes it cleaner.

A few recent papers have provided new insights into the origins of microplastics and nanoplastics. It focuses on different products such as laser-cut acrylic sheets, orthodontic rubber bands and children’s food containers.

Plastic made from cane sugar also threatens the environment. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have found that perch change their behaviour when exposed to so-called bioplastic.

Researchers develop a method to estimate the age of microplastics in the ocean, and find that offshore microplastics can range from 1 to 3 years old while nearshore microplastics can range from 0 to 5 years old.