MICROPLASTICS IN SOME PARTS OF THE MED HAVE INCREASED BY 80%

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 5 - The quantity of microplastics grew by 80% between September 2019 and May 2022 in some stretches of the Mediterranean according to a study conducted by the Advanced Technologies Network Center (Aten) at the University of Palermo. Microplastics in waters off the Spanish coast increased from 1,180 to 2,180 units per litre and in the stretch from Palermo to Gibraltar from 803 to 1,440 units, according to the findings of the research carried out during the Ocean to Ocean Rib Adventure mission that left Palermo on December 15, 2021 and ended in Los Angeles on May 23, 2022 The researchers examined the presence of tiny plastic particles at a maximum depth of one metre. The analysis showed that the areas along the Mediterranean and Colombian coasts, where anthropic activities have had the greatest impact, are the most polluted, with the presence of microplastics exceeding the average value by 75%. "Moreover, thanks to comparison with data obtained from a previous mission, we were able to attest to the exponential increase of microplastics in the Mediterranean in about two and a half years," said Professor Mariano Licciardi, head of Aten's 'Preparation and Analysis of Biomaterials' laboratory. (ANSA).

2023-06-05T13:49:40Z dg43tfdfdgfd