Perilous
Times
'250 billion' plastic fragments floating in Mediterranean
Sea
by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Dec 30, 2010
Some 250 billion microscopic pieces of plastic are floating in the
Mediterranean, creating a biological hazard that reverberates up
the food chain, according to research supported by green
campaigners.
The estimate comes from French and Belgian marine biologists who
analysed water samples taken in July off France, northern Italy
and Spain to a depth of 10-15 centimetres (four to six inches).
"The rough estimate is that there are roughly 250 billion pieces
of micro-debris in all the Mediterranean," Francois Galgani, of
the French Institute for Exploration of the Sea (Ifremer), said on
Wednesday.
The figure derives from 4,371 minute pieces of plastic -- average
weight 1.8 milligrams (0.00006 of an ounce) -- found in the
samples, "which extrapolates to roughly 500 tonnes for the entire
Mediterranean," Galgani said.
Ninety percent of the samples, taken by volunteers from Expedition
MED (Mediterranean in Danger) on a 17-metre (55-feet) yacht, had
such fragments.
The sampling only covered surface waters and is a preliminary
evaluation. Further samples, off Gibraltar, Moroccow, Algeria,
Tunisa, Sardinia and southern Italy, will be taken in 2011 to get
a wider picture.
Micro-sized plastic is an enduring hazard, as it becomes mixed
with plankton, which is then ingurgitated by small fish that are
then eaten by larger predators, says Expedition MED.
It says there is an accumulating pile of evidence of the damage
that this does to larger forms of marine life, including seals and
tortoises.
"The only solution is to stop micro-debris at the sources," said
Expedition MED's Bruno Dumontet.
The group is launching an on-line petition to demand tougher
European Union (EU) rules on the disposal and biodegrability of
consumer goods.