Comments on: Marcus Eriksen describes ocean gyre of plastic garbage http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash A Clear Voice for Science Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:23:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Nancy http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-14789 Nancy Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:58:53 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-14789 What about all the plastic toxins that end up in the Arctic? You didn't mention this. Plastic toxins as well as mercury and others do not dissipate in such cold water. The animals and people there already carry these toxins in their systems. The health of the people is being compromised - underweight babies at birth, many ear infections and I don't know what else in particular. Mothers milk in the Inuit peoples of Canada and Greenland is more polluted than mothers milk in the large cities of Canada. Some of these pollutants do not come from floating plastics. The point is that none of these toxins break down very slowly or not at all in COLD water. What about all the plastic toxins that end up in the Arctic? You didn’t mention this. Plastic toxins as well as mercury and others do not dissipate in such cold water. The animals and people there already carry these toxins in their systems. The health of the people is being compromised – underweight babies at birth, many ear infections and I don’t know what else in particular. Mothers milk in the Inuit peoples of Canada and Greenland is more polluted than mothers milk in the large cities of Canada. Some of these pollutants do not come from floating plastics. The point is that none of these toxins break down very slowly or not at all in COLD water.

]]> By: rick http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-13167 rick Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:03:35 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-13167 Chelsea- take a look at junkraft.blogspot.com These guys built a raft out of 50,000 plastic bottles and floated to Hawaii right through the Pacific gyre after leaving from L.A. They saw first hand what a mess is there. Chelsea- take a look at junkraft.blogspot.com These guys built a raft out of 50,000 plastic bottles and floated to Hawaii right through the Pacific gyre after leaving from L.A. They saw first hand what a mess is there.

]]> By: Ashleigh http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-13099 Ashleigh Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:05:54 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-13099 I think this site is very resourceful and i also like reading all the information about the environment... It is sad to hear about all these pollutants... Humans might be good at keeping themselves clean but when it comes to keeping the environment clean most people just dont care and i think it is pretty sad...they are killing our planet...=[ I think this site is very resourceful and i also like reading all the information about the environment…
It is sad to hear about all these pollutants…
Humans might be good at keeping themselves clean but when it comes to keeping the environment clean most people just dont care and i think it is pretty sad…they are killing our planet…=[

]]> By: Beth http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-13093 Beth Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:22:25 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-13093 woops, that link didn't light up. google 'algalita marine research', and you should be able to find what you're looking for. woops, that link didn’t light up. google ‘algalita marine research’, and you should be able to find what you’re looking for.

]]> By: Beth http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-13092 Beth Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:20:06 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-13092 Thank you all for your comments. A great source of information (here\'s looking at you, Chelsea) is here: http://www.algalita.org/ Best, Beth Thank you all for your comments. A great source of information (here\’s looking at you, Chelsea) is here:

http://www.algalita.org/

Best,
Beth

]]> By: chelsea http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-13085 chelsea Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:21:23 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-13085 Hi I am tring to wright a letter to the mayor . For a school thing and I need to find out how much trash and what kind of trash ends up in the ocean. So if you can find it out pleas reply so I can finsh my repoart. Hi I am tring to wright a letter to the mayor . For a school thing and I
need to find out how much trash and what kind of trash ends up in the ocean. So if you can find it out pleas reply so I can finsh my repoart.

]]> By: Benjamin Napier http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-13084 Benjamin Napier Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:53:52 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-13084 Deborah, If the plastic is visible on the surface, it will get enough sunlight to breakdown pretty quickly. I have installed a lot of HDPE pipe and liner. Even with UV blockers, it is only rated for a couple of years in the sun. PVC will do a little better but not much. Also, Polyethylene, HDPE (High density polyethylene) LDPE (Low density polyethylene) LLDPE Linear low density polyethylene) and the like only are comprised of caarbon and hydrogen and are basically long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons. They break down quickly and completely to carbon and hydrogen. Plants and what have you quickly get them built into the carbon cycle. PET (Polyethylene teraphthalate) such as is used in drink bottles is essentially a synthetic carbohydrate consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It also breaks down completely with no toxicity as well. PVC, polyvinyl chloride is a little more comples and does feature chlorine on the molecule. I have not studied the breakdown products of this plastic but I surmise that vinyl chloride could be one of the steps. Vinyl chloride is considered a carcinogen. However, it doesn't last long in nature either. I did a fairly large TCE (trichloroethylene) clean-up in Chicago several years ago. The TCE at the edges of the plume had been degraded by bacteria to vinyl chloride and then to its constituents in a short distance in the soil. The TCE had been spilled by the US Government and McDondald Douglass during the WWII production of airplanes. In the ocean, I would think that the stirring, the sun and the liquid would facilitate the breakdown. Long term, the plastics are not a significant problem. They are, however, a sign of a very messy and inconsiderate society. Deborah,

If the plastic is visible on the surface, it will get enough sunlight to breakdown pretty quickly. I have installed a lot of HDPE pipe and liner. Even with UV blockers, it is only rated for a couple of years in the sun. PVC will do a little better but not much.

Also, Polyethylene, HDPE (High density polyethylene) LDPE (Low density polyethylene) LLDPE Linear low density polyethylene) and the like only are comprised of caarbon and hydrogen and are basically long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons. They break down quickly and completely to carbon and hydrogen. Plants and what have you quickly get them built into the carbon cycle. PET (Polyethylene teraphthalate) such as is used in drink bottles is essentially a synthetic carbohydrate consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It also breaks down completely with no toxicity as well. PVC, polyvinyl chloride is a little more comples and does feature chlorine on the molecule. I have not studied the breakdown products of this plastic but I surmise that vinyl chloride could be one of the steps. Vinyl chloride is considered a carcinogen. However, it doesn’t last long in nature either. I did a fairly large TCE (trichloroethylene) clean-up in Chicago several years ago. The TCE at the edges of the plume had been degraded by bacteria to vinyl chloride and then to its constituents in a short distance in the soil. The TCE had been spilled by the US Government and McDondald Douglass during the WWII production of airplanes. In the ocean, I would think that the stirring, the sun and the liquid would facilitate the breakdown.

Long term, the plastics are not a significant problem. They are, however, a sign of a very messy and inconsiderate society.

]]> By: Deborah Byrd http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-12875 Deborah Byrd Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:16:39 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-12875 Hi Ben, no kidding! Plastic on dry land does break down relatively quickly, but apparently plastic in the ocean doesn't break down easily. I heard EarthSky's raw interview with Dr. Erikson and at one point he seemed almost embarrassed to talk about this ... apparently he'd recently been mis-quoted elsewhere in the media ... but he did say very clearly that plastic under the ocean surface gets so little sunlight that it breaks down only VERY slowly. In the transcript above, he says '... the plastic doesn’t fully biodegrade and is often toxic. He said marine life feeds on it, including fish eaten by humans.' Yikes. Hi Ben, no kidding! Plastic on dry land does break down relatively quickly, but apparently plastic in the ocean doesn’t break down easily. I heard EarthSky’s raw interview with Dr. Erikson and at one point he seemed almost embarrassed to talk about this … apparently he’d recently been mis-quoted elsewhere in the media … but he did say very clearly that plastic under the ocean surface gets so little sunlight that it breaks down only VERY slowly. In the transcript above, he says ‘… the plastic doesn’t fully biodegrade and is often toxic. He said marine life feeds on it, including fish eaten by humans.’ Yikes.

]]> By: Benjamin Napier http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-12869 Benjamin Napier Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:02:24 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-12869 Humans are messy creatures. Why we insist on fouling our own nests is beyond me. The good news is: the plastic will not last long in the sun and is fairly inert. Long term, no harm, no foul. Just a nasty habit that will continue to create eye-sores. How to fix it? Stop throwing trash out on the ground. Live what we preach. Every day, every time. We could pressure our criminals in congress to stop doing business with countries like China and North Korea that make huges messes with no thought of the consequences. Humans are messy creatures. Why we insist on fouling our own nests is beyond me. The good news is: the plastic will not last long in the sun and is fairly inert. Long term, no harm, no foul. Just a nasty habit that will continue to create eye-sores.

How to fix it? Stop throwing trash out on the ground. Live what we preach. Every day, every time. We could pressure our criminals in congress to stop doing business with countries like China and North Korea that make huges messes with no thought of the consequences.

]]> By: Deborah Byrd http://earthsky.org/water/pacific-ocean-gyre-filled-with-plastic-trash/comment-page-1#comment-12777 Deborah Byrd Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:10:42 +0000 http://208.96.63.114/?p=1897#comment-12777 Hank ... exactly. The plastic in the ocean will be there a long, long time. Scary! Hank … exactly. The plastic in the ocean will be there a long, long time. Scary!

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