How old is that microplastic? – Japan

How old is that microplastic? – Japan

Posted on June 4, 2023 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste News

Researchers from Kyushu University and Asahi Karel have developed a method to estimate the age of microplastics in the ocean

Source: How old is that microplastic? – Inside Water

The team applied their new method to estimate the age of microplastics found in nearshore and offshore sites in the North Pacific Ocean. They found that the age of microplastics in nearshore regions ranged from 0 to 5 years old, whereas microplastics from offshore regions ranged from 1 to 3 years old. Their findings were published in the journal, Marine Pollution Bulletin. The title of their paper is “Estimation of the age of polyethylene microplastics collected from oceans: Application to the Western North Pacific Ocean.”