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Microplastics from textiles damage lung cells, finds study

Envirotec Magazine

Microplastics from textiles may inhibit the lung’s ability to repair damage caused by conditions such as COVID-19, according to research findings released on 24 February. With humans exposed to microplastic fibres on a daily basis, scientists also warned of the potential health risks for those with developing lungs, such as children.

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Pathogens which cling to microplastics may survive wastewater treatment

Envirotec Magazine

Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, reports a new study appearing in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove contaminants from wastewater, but microplastics persist and can become colonized by a sticky microbial biofilm.

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Microplastics found in the bloodstreams of cows and pigs

Inhabitat - Innovation

The meat you buy in the store may be contaminated with microplastics. A recent study by Free University of Amsterdam found microplastics in the bloodstreams of pigs and cows for the first time.

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Study maps human uptake of microplastics across 109 countries

Envirotec Magazine

Indonesians eat more microplastics per month than any other country, said the study, with most of it coming from seafood (image credit: raulbaldean / Shutterstock.com). That is a 59-fold increase in daily microplastic consumption from 1990 to 2018, the date range used for the models. grams per month, while the lowest is Paraguay at 0.85

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Using microbes to remove microplastics

Envirotec Magazine

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a seemingly new technique to trap and recover microplastics. The method uses bacterial biofilms, a sticky substance created by micro-organisms, to trap microplastic particles. In bioreactors, this makes the microplastics more convenient to collect, according to Liu.

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Hidden threats to soil apparent from sewage sludge research

Envirotec Magazine

Recent research from The James Hutton Institute suggests that hidden threats from the agricultural use of contaminated sewage sludge could be contributing to already diminished poor soil health. Around 87% of the 3.6 million tonnes of sewage sludge produced in the UK is recycled to agricultural land.

Soil 221
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New review highlights human health risks from microplastic exposure

NRDC onEarth

A recently published review I co-authored concludes exposure to microplastics is suspected to harm human reproduction and digestive and respiratory health