New health fear over ‘plastic pebbles’ on our beaches
BRITAIN’S beaches are becoming littered with ‘plastic pebbles’.
They are created from melted plastic, which combines with sand, shingle and seaweed to form small balls.
After being rolled around on the beach by waves they become hard to distinguish from real pebbles but pose a real threat to oceans, wildlife and, potentially, human health.
The Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition (CPPC) says they could get into the food chain if they get broken down.
Many of the pebbles are thought to originate from plastic bottles and other items melting after being thrown on to beach bonfires or barbecues.
The CPCC says it has seen reports of hundreds of plastic pebbles being found in Cornwall, Devon, Pembrokeshire, Orkney, Spain, Portugal and Hawaii.
Delia Webb, of the CPCC, said: ‘The danger is that they will become shingle-size and be ingested into the food chain, so they need to be removed like any plastic would be.
‘But if people are aware of them we should find more. Cornwall gets hit because of currents coming across the Atlantic and if you are a seasoned beachcomber your eyes get attuned to spotting them.’
She added: ‘People need to be aware that it is one thing burning wood on a beach fire but burning plastics with all the toxic fumes that they give off is a no-no.’
The plastic pebbles, technically known as plastiglomerate, were first discovered in 2006 by Charles Moore, a sea captain and oceanographer, while surveying plastic washed up on Kamilo Beach, a remote, polluted stretch of sand in Hawaii. Subsequently, Dr Patricia Corcoran, an earth scientist at Western University in Ontario, Canada, collected samples of the plastic rocks from 21 sites in Hawaii. They collected 205 pieces, ranging from the size of a peach stone to the diameter of a large pizza.
The evidence from the British coast is that ‘plastic pebbles’ are now a global threat. Jan Zalasiewicz, a geologist at Leicester University, said: ‘Plastics and plastiglomerates might well survive as future fossils.
‘If they are buried within the strata, I don’t see why they can’t persist in some form for millions of years.’
A survey has found the most remote stretch of ocean on the planet is contaminated with plastic waste. Up to 26 tiny particles of plastic per cubic metre of seawater were found close to Point Nemo, where the nearest humans are on the International Space Station.
The closest inhabited land to Point Nemo is Easter Island which is 1,670 miles away.
It is known to space agencies as the ‘South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area’ and is used for dumping decommissioned satellites and spacecraft.
Plastic particles have previously been found in the six deepest ocean trenches, on remote uninhabited islands and in the polar regions.
Two vessels taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race last month collected the first samples from Point Nemo and sent them for laboratory analysis after the boats arrived in Brazil.