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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as