The growing microplastics problem – On the Green Fence

#microplastics #dwenvironment #plasticpollution

Episode 2: The growing microplastics problem

Microplastics have been found everywhere — from the deepest parts of the ocean to the heights of Mount Everest. It’s a problem that’s set to intensify as we produce over 400 million tons of new plastics every year.

Microplastics — tiny fragments that are less than 5 millimeters in diameter — can come from synthetic textiles, cosmetics, city dust, tires, and engineered plastic pellets.

Traces of these stealth pollutants, often invisible to the eye, have infiltrated drinking water, fish, agricultural crops, and human blood. But just how dangerous are microplastics for our health? And what can we do about them?

Interviewees featured in this episode:

Tamara Galloway, professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter, UK
Nicky Eshtiaghi, professor of chemical engineering at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Hanson Cheng, interdisciplinary designer and co-founder of The Tyre Collective, London, UK

On the Green Fence is produced by DW studios in Bonn, Germany.

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Website – https://www.dw.com/en/on-the-green-fence/program-49760682

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro
03:46 What microplastics mean for our health
09:03 Are microplastics accumulating in our bodies?
11:09 How can we avoid microplastics?
13:43 Where microplastics come from
14:23 RMIT scientists remove plastics from water
20:15 Potential clients
24:25 How to capture tire dust
30:31 Tire pollutants upcycled
34:45 Plastics drive CO2 emissions

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