environment, environmental consequences, face mask pollution, face masks, ocean pollution, water pollution

Do Face Masks Increase Pollution?

Before the coronavirus pandemic, people used to wear face masks to protect themselves from air pollution. With the spread of COVID-19, the use of face masks has jumped dramatically worldwide. As a result, many environmentalists are concerned that such a huge consumption will lead to large-scale waste generation and subsequent pollution of the land and ...

Raven Montmorency

A woman wearing a face mask.

Tons of Ocean Pollution Can Be Saved by Changing Washing Habits

A new study has revealed that almost 13,000 tons of microfibers, equivalent to two rubbish trucks every day, are being released into European marine environments every year — but this could be reduced by as much as 30 percent if we made a small change to our laundry habits. The findings have been published in ...

Troy Oakes

A front loading washing machine.

Microplastics a Million Times More Abundant Than Previously Thought

Nothing seems safe from plastic contamination. A new study by NSF-funded researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggests there could be a million times more microplastics in the ocean than previously estimated. Biological oceanographer Jennifer Brandon found some of the tiniest microplastics in seawater at much higher concentrations than previously measured. Her method showed ...

Troy Oakes

Plastics found in the sea.

China: The Main Source of Plastic Bottles in the Atlantic

A new study on the pollution from plastic bottles prevalent in the Atlantic Ocean has found that Chinese merchant ships are the number one source of the problem. The researchers traveled to Inaccessible Island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, and discovered that 73 percent of the plastic bottles that had washed up in the ...

Max Lu

Plastic bottle pollution in the ocean.

Ditch the Delicate Wash Cycle to Save Our Seas

New research led by Newcastle University has shown that it is the volume of water used during the wash cycle, rather than the spinning action of the washing machine, that is the key factor in the release of plastic microfibers from clothes. Stop using the delicate wash cycle to help save our seas. Millions of ...

Troy Oakes

Professor Grant Burgess, Max Kelly, Newcastle University, and Dr. Neil Lant, P&G.

Radioactive Carbon From Nuclear Tests Found in Deep Ocean Trenches

Radioactive carbon released into the atmosphere from 20th-century nuclear bomb tests has reached the deepest parts of the ocean, new research finds. A new study in AGU’s journal Geophysical Research Letters finds the first evidence of radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb tests in muscle tissues of crustaceans that inhabit Earth’s ocean trenches, including the Mariana Trench, home to the ...

Troy Oakes

A nuclear bomb test.

Where Has All the Plastic Rubbish Gone in the Indian Ocean?

Researchers at the University of Western Australia have found that although the Indian Ocean is the world’s biggest dumping ground for plastic waste, nobody seems to know where it goes. Professor Chari Pattiaratchi, from UWA’s Oceans Graduate School and the Oceans Institute, said compared to other ocean basins, little research had been done to measure ...

Troy Oakes

Plastic waste in the ocean.

Dead Whale Found With 115 Plastic Cups in Its Stomach

A dead whale, washed ashore in eastern Indonesia, surprised environmentalists when they discovered that the creature had 115 plastic cups in its stomach. Four plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags, a nylon sack, and 1,000 other plastic items were also found inside. In total, about 13 pounds of plastic waste was recovered. The dead whale “Although ...

Nspirement Staff

A humpback whale.