"For a couple of hundred years, we've understood the rock cycle as a natural process that takes thousands to millions of years," said first study author Dr. Amanda Owen of the University of Glasgow.
Until humans got involved...
#earth #science #geology #environment #waste #industrial #chemistry #research
LabrootsIndustrial Waste Rapidly Turning to Rock in a Remarkable Phenomenon | Earth And The EnvironmentScientists have made a surprising discovery about the formation of rock. It seems that industrial waste known as slag that is generated by the steel.. | Earth And The Environment
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How does previously wasted water become clean drinking water? At the Orange County Water District, Dr. Megan Plumlee directs a groundwater replenishment system that provides 85% of local drinking 
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Microplastics have been in 'pristine streams' for half a Century — what could that mean for Human Health?
Check my Image Description’s![“Scientists are still working to understand exactly how microplastics and the chemicals within plastics [such as phthalates and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)] might affect our bodies”, Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) who studies how pollutants affect reproductive and developmental health, told.
<https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/362049/9789240054608-eng.pdf>
Early research has linked plastic exposure to the risk of various health conditions, including heart disease, lung disorders, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. In each of these cases, the link is correlative, so it's not clear if or how the plastics might be contributing to the diseases. In addition, in lab-dish studies, some types of plastics appear to be relatively harmless, while others have been shown to kill human cells in vitro.
In 2024, Woodruff and her team at UCSF's Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment published a systematic review of nearly 2,000 studies on the health effects of microplastics as part of a California state-commissioned report aimed at guiding policy decisions. The review identified potential health effects on respiratory, digestive and reproductive health, and particularly on sperm.
<https://uccs.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk12071/files/media/documents/CalSPEC-Report-Microplastics-Occurrence-Health%20Effects-and-Mitigation-Policies.pdf>](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/427/173/159/679/953/original/ec6eda6a2229dac2.jpeg "“Scientists are still working to understand exactly how microplastics and the chemicals within plastics [such as phthalates and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)] might affect our bodies”, Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) who studies how pollutants affect reproductive and developmental health, told.
<https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/362049/9789240054608-eng.pdf>
Early research has linked plastic exposure to the risk of various health conditions, including heart disease, lung disorders, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. In each of these cases, the link is correlative, so it's not clear if or how the plastics might be contributing to the diseases. In addition, in lab-dish studies, some types of plastics appear to be relatively harmless, while others have been shown to kill human cells in vitro.
In 2024, Woodruff and her team at UCSF's Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment published a systematic review of nearly 2,000 studies on the health effects of microplastics as part of a California state-commissioned report aimed at guiding policy decisions. The review identified potential health effects on respiratory, digestive and reproductive health, and particularly on sperm.
<https://uccs.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk12071/files/media/documents/CalSPEC-Report-Microplastics-Occurrence-Health%20Effects-and-Mitigation-Policies.pdf>")
![[ImageSource: Auke-Florian Hiemstra]
This caddisfly casing from 1971 has microplastic in it, the researchers found.
Microplastic pollution from industrial waste has been contaminating freshwater ecosystems for decades, with evidence pointing to this run-off starting in the 1950s to 1970s. Now, though, new evidence suggests the extent of that pollution might be even broader than once thought.
In a study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, scientists examined the larvae of caddisflies, small insects that build protective casings around themselves using plant material, sand and small stones in their environment. These casings, gathered in the 1970s and 1980s, came from clear, spring-fed streams in the Netherlands that were considered pristine at the time.
⚠️However, the study revealed that the larvae were incorporating plastic particles into their protective casings as early as 1971 — in other words, microplastics had infiltrated even these seemingly untouched ecosystems.⚠️](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/427/173/870/042/116/original/12189f167a58a73a.jpeg "[ImageSource: Auke-Florian Hiemstra]
This caddisfly casing from 1971 has microplastic in it, the researchers found.
Microplastic pollution from industrial waste has been contaminating freshwater ecosystems for decades, with evidence pointing to this run-off starting in the 1950s to 1970s. Now, though, new evidence suggests the extent of that pollution might be even broader than once thought.
In a study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, scientists examined the larvae of caddisflies, small insects that build protective casings around themselves using plant material, sand and small stones in their environment. These casings, gathered in the 1970s and 1980s, came from clear, spring-fed streams in the Netherlands that were considered pristine at the time.
⚠️However, the study revealed that the larvae were incorporating plastic particles into their protective casings as early as 1971 — in other words, microplastics had infiltrated even these seemingly untouched ecosystems.⚠️")
![[ImageSource: Pasquale Ciliberti and Isabel van der Velden]
A close-up of a caddisfly casing from 1986.
Microplastics are tiny fragments of synthetic polymers that can take anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years to degrade. They're defined as being between 1 micrometer and 5 millimeters long.
Today, they seem to be found virtually everywhere: in clouds, the air we breathe, food, drinking water and human blood and breast milk. These particles stem from the breakdown of larger plastics, and in some cases, they are intentionally manufactured for use in certain cosmetics and cleaning products.
<https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/microplastics-everywhere>
Research suggests that the human body clears out some larger microplastics measuring up to 150 micrometers long, while fragments smaller than 10 micrometers may be absorbed into tissues. But recent research suggests that some plastics in our bodies are even tinier than that.
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024000308>
While what qualifies as "nanoplastic" is still under debate, these ultrasmall particles are typically considered to be any plastic fragments smaller than 1 micrometer (or 1,000 nanometers) in diameter. A human hair, by comparison, is around 80,000 nanometers wide. Nanoplastics are small enough to potentially pass through cell membranes, studies suggest.
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521006426?via%3Dihub>](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/427/174/635/200/687/original/76e100bc273b3864.jpeg "[ImageSource: Pasquale Ciliberti and Isabel van der Velden]
A close-up of a caddisfly casing from 1986.
Microplastics are tiny fragments of synthetic polymers that can take anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years to degrade. They're defined as being between 1 micrometer and 5 millimeters long.
Today, they seem to be found virtually everywhere: in clouds, the air we breathe, food, drinking water and human blood and breast milk. These particles stem from the breakdown of larger plastics, and in some cases, they are intentionally manufactured for use in certain cosmetics and cleaning products.
<https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/microplastics-everywhere>
Research suggests that the human body clears out some larger microplastics measuring up to 150 micrometers long, while fragments smaller than 10 micrometers may be absorbed into tissues. But recent research suggests that some plastics in our bodies are even tinier than that.
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024000308>
While what qualifies as \"nanoplastic\" is still under debate, these ultrasmall particles are typically considered to be any plastic fragments smaller than 1 micrometer (or 1,000 nanometers) in diameter. A human hair, by comparison, is around 80,000 nanometers wide. Nanoplastics are small enough to potentially pass through cell membranes, studies suggest.
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521006426?via%3Dihub>")
