Reduction of single-use plastic :

Key to prevent plastic pollution in marine

environments

1

Hideshige TAKADA

Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG)

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Dr. Hideshige Takada,

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology,

Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan

Air Mail

International Pellet Watch Global Monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Using Beached Plastic Resin Pellets

2

Since 2005

http://www.pelletwatch.org/

Plastics from volunteers and NGOs in the world

Analysis for persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Feed the data back to the collaborators via e-mail

Releasing the results on web 4 http://www.pelletwatch.org/

Chemical

Analysis

Chemical

hazardousness of

marine plastics

Status of

Global

pollution

Volunteer-based activity : Increase in public awareness

regarding plastic pollution in marine environment

To provide basic information to assess the risk of

toxic chemicals in microplastics to scientists and

policy-makers

Tool to increase public awareness of plastic pollution

Global Monitoring of POPs in marine environments

Continuous increase in plastic production

Thompson et al., 2009

1933:Production of Polyethylene started.

8% of global oil production

4% : feedstock

4% : energy

CITARUM RIVER, INDONESIA

Photo from Dr. Charles Moore

MUMBAI, INDIA

Photo from Dr. Charles Moore

KAMILO BEACH

BIG ISLAND

Photo from Dr. Charles Moore

10

Marine organisms ingest plastics

Albatross

T/V Wakatake Maru (Hokkaido Pref.)

By-catch in driftnet

June-July 2003, 2005

Sampling area

40˚00’N−47˚30’N, 180˚00’

55˚30’N−58˚30’N, 178˚00’ E−178˚00’ W

Short-tailed shearwater from Northern pacific

Resin pellets

Fragments

of plastic

Fiber

Styrofoam Plastic sheets 1 cm n=41

Plastic sheets

9%

Styrofoam 1%

Fiber 5%

Fragments of

plastic

59%

Resin pellets

26%

Type and composition of plastics found in the stomachs of

short-tailed shearwater.

Short-tailed shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris

Various types of plastics were found in digestive tracts of the seabird

Yamashita et al. 2011

Plastics detected in digestive tract of short-tailed shearwater

0.1 g – 0.6 g per an individual

14

More than 180 species of animals are known to

have ingested plastic debris, including birds,

fish, turtles and marine mammals.

Physical impacts of the ingested plastics have

been reported for many species of organisms

(Wright et al., 2013).

Marine organisms ingest plastics

Plastics in Sea Turtle Plastics in Seabird

250

200

150

100

50

0

Plastic products contain additives :

Endocrine disrupting chemicals released from plastic

caps of mineral water bottles

World Cap 2012

DDTs PCBs

HCH

Plastics

･DDT and its metabolites such as DDE and DDD.

･DDT was used as insecticides

･Endocrine disrupting chemicals

･Industrial products for a variety of uses including dielectric fluid, heat medium, and lubricants.

･ Endocrine disrupting chemicals

･Insecticide

Plastics accumulate pollutants from seawater

ClnCln

CH

CCl3

Cl

Cl C

CCl2

Cl

Cl

CH

CHCl2

Cl

Cl

DDT DDE DDD

HH

H

HH

H

Cl

Cl

ClCl

Cl

Cl

PAHs

adsorption from ambient seawater

Concentration factor is estimated to be ~ 105 to ~106. 16

169

12 10

20

94

8

217

24

9 16

26

6

Vietnam

Japan

HK India

Thailand Malaysia

Indonesia

Australia

Italy

U.K.

Portugal

South Africa

Mozambique

43

416

Boston

Greece

International Pellet Watch : monitoring & increase of public awareness

Plastics carry hazardous chemicals in marine environments

141 Turkey

53

453

73

10

107

Singapore

7

Costa Rica

7

7

Chile

T T

294

253

94

Argentina

88

Ghana

Hawaii

85

Taiwan

2 China

51

297

16

7

Cocos

387

Brazil

143

Philippines

45 9

25

2746

France

9 0.74

1.49

Panama

314

7

St. Helena’s

43

0.01

Uruguay

131

573 Ohio

Israel

28

209

43

5 Sweden

94

112

Albania

17

33 38

73 41

605

San Francisco

32

Seattle

182

10 San Diego

341

Los Angeles

253

23

0.01 Henderson

Island

Concentration of PCBs* in beached plastic resin pellet (ng/g-pellet)

60

0.26

New Zealand

0.9 0.2 119

70

207

Ohio

New Jersey

30 265

8 47

73 63

11

Kenya

52

97

61

Transfer of chemicals

from ingested plastics

to biological tissue has

been confirmed.

Transfer of pollutants from ingested plastics to biological tissue

O

Br Br

Br

BrBrBr

BrBr

Br

Br

O

Br Br

Br

BrBrBr

BrBr

Br

BrAdverse effects on wild life

Threat to food security

Sea birds

Fish

Amphipod

3R is the key to solve the problems of plastics in marine environments

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Majority of plastics in marine environment is land-derived.

Disposable packaging is dominant item.

Reduction of input of single-use plastic from land is necessary.

3R

No single-use plastics

Reduce Reuse : non-reusable plastics

Recycle : consumes energy and emits CO2

No single-use plastic!

Majority of plastics in marine environment is land-derived.

Disposable packaging is dominant item.

Reduction of input of single-use plastic from land is necessary.

3R

unanticipated detection of toxic additives

due to recycling of hazardous additives.

(detection of toxic flame retardants in children toys)

Governmental regulation to reduce excessive plastic packaging

is required .