Human activity is the main mechanism behind the spread of microplastics, Taiwanese scientists said on Tuesday as they called for national standards to be established to monitor the substances.
Scientists found 1.88 to 141 plastic particles per liter of water in samples taken from the Shihmen canals (石門大圳), which was formerly Taoyuan’s largest irrigation system, Jiang Jheng-jie (江政傑), an assistant professor of environmental engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University, told a teleconference hosted by the Science Media Center Taiwan.
Microplastic fragments are defined as those that are smaller than 5mm.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
The most common type of plastic particle was white or transparent microfibers from synthetic fabrics used in clothing, which suggests that the main sources of plastic pollution are urban centers near the canals, Jiang said.
Sand from beaches on the Hengchun Peninsula contained 200 plastic particles per kilogram, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium deputy director Chen Te-hao (陳德豪) said.
There, too, the most common substance was white or transparent fibers, followed by fragments, film and pieces of polystyrene foam, Chen said, adding that microplastic pollution levels are strongly correlated to tourism.
White-sand beaches that were the cleanest to the naked eye actually had the highest levels of microplastic pollution, showing that beach cleaning is ineffective in removing the substance from the environment, he said.
Microplastic pollution must be combatted at the source, which means reducing plastic use, he said.
Plastic particles can be found nearly everywhere in the world, including the Kuroshio Current, which had been supposed to be free of the substance due to the speed of its waters, said Shiu Ruei-feng, an assistant professor of marine ecology at National Ocean University.
The current is a northerly flow in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
The problem cannot be tackled until Taiwan creates a common set of standards and methodology to monitor plastic particle pollution, Shiu said.
Separately, another local research team on Wednesday said that microplastic pollution in urban rivers in Taiwan is highly correlated to population density, urbanization and land use.
Microplastics are mostly derived from daily activities, roads, the manufacturing industry and natural fragmentation, Alexander Kunz, from Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Environmental Changes, told a news conference in Taipei, citing a study of water samples collected at rural and urban locations along two rivers.
Microplastics have contaminated the air, soil, deep sea and even Mount Everest’s peak, and are detected in animals and humans, said Kunz, who worked with academics at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University.
The researchers examined water samples collected in 2018 along the Tamsui River (淡水河) in and around Taipei and in 2021 along the Dadu River (大肚溪) in Taichung to determine what caused a sudden increase in microplastics in urban rivers.
The researchers said that the levels of microplastics in the rivers were correlated with population density.
Their research was published in the March 15 edition of the journal Environmental Pollution.
The study found that microplastic levels were very low in the upper Dadu River, but concentrations increased in suburban Taichung.
The highest microplastic concentration was in water samples taken where the Dali River (大里溪) meets the Dadu River in Wuri District (烏日), an industrial area in the southern part of Taichung, the researchers said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS