HAPPENING TODAY 

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK AND WATCH THE VIDEO. 

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50002132/#50002132

This is happening right

now and demonstrates

the urgent need for

each one of us to

become consciously

aware of how our 

plastic debris is 

destroying our oceans

sustainability and 

killing our marine life.

A report that aired on November 28th 2012 on NBC' Nightly News broadcast hosted by Brian Williams shows just how much plastic waste from Japan's Tsunami is impacting the Kamilo Beach in Hawaii and killing our marine life with a 10 mile stretch of 3 to 4 inches of debris.  

It is important to note that even though this debris is coming from a Tsunami the same thing is happening all over the world on other beaches that is related to human consumption and our disposal habits of plastic waste. This does not need to be happening for each and everyone of us can take small or large steps in our everyday lives to stop the pollution of our oceans and the killing our marine life that will have an impact.

After watching the video if you want to lean more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and Gyres scroll down the right side of the blog to Archives and click on the post titled Distributions of Plastic Waste In Our Oceans.    

UPDATE

Scientist Discover There Is 

More Plastic Waste In The Oceans

Than Previously Thought 

There is much more unrecorded plastic
deeper in the ocean-not just on the
 waters surface.

On April 27th 2012 researchers
announced that they had "found
that there is far more plastic in
the world's oceans than previously
thought". Oceanographer Giora
Proskurowski of the University
of Washington while on a research
cruise in the Pacific Ocean noticed
that the "wind was pushing the
lightweight plastic particles below 
the surface". 
In 2010 a research team took water samples from different depth in the North Atlantic Ocean and using a “mathematical model to match historical weather data, collected by satellites, with previous surface sampling” they were more accurately able to estimate the amount of plastic in the oceans. What they discovered was “that there was much more unrecorded plastic deeper in the ocean-not just on the waters surface” by an average factor of 2.5 and in high winds by a factor of 27; which is well above previous estimates that were just collected from the surface of the water.
Proskurowski went on to say that "the scope of the problem is not just at the very surface but goes down to 20 meters or so, and that plastic is distributed throughout this layer".

The importance of these findings only
demonstrates how much more our oceans and marine life wild-life are at risk than previously thought. In addition, the plastics that are deep in the oceans are acting "as a carrier for bacteria spreading it across the oceans".


The entire article can be viewed at:
  
 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2136334/Scientists-warn-far-plastic-waste-previously-estimated-deeper-ocean.html

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STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO CUT PLASTIC WASTE

Please feel free to add to the list.

·        Let recycling become second nature. If your community currently does not offer pick-up recycling programs for #1 and #2 plastics contact your city or town hall to request one. It will make a world of difference in reducing our consumption of plastics waste.

·        The best solution to plastic bag waste is to bring your own bags when you shop not only to the grocery store but the drugstore or mall. There are many choices out there such as cotton, canvas, or even hemp bags and then there are the ultra-light compact Chicobags that you can throw in your car or purse so that you will always have one handy to use.

·        Use reusable cotton mesh produce sacks instead of the flimsy plastic produce bags.

·        You can also recycle plastic bags and use them to knit many items

·        Use alternatives to plastic water bottles.  Kleen Kanteen and SIIG water bottles are safe stainless steel bottles that are available in many sizes.

·        Use recycled or biodegradable compostable garbage bags.

·        When storing leftovers, packing lunches or foods to go use containers that come in endless different sizes and shapes instead of plastic baggies or foil.

·        Request that you favorite take-out place not include the plastic utensils when they pack your food. On the same note request they do not put a plastic lid on your soft drink and then you won’t need a plastic straw.

·        Take your reusable coffee tumbler with you when get coffee to-go.

·        If you get a daily newspaper request that it not be wrapped in plastic when delivered. Better yet if you have internet access cancel your subscription and go online for your news (that will help to save trees).

·        Ask your dry-cleaners to eliminate the plastic wrap on your clothes.

The following suggestions which are worth noting came from an article written by Kimberly Amaral:

Educate others about the problem of marine debris, enhancing "voluntary compliance through awareness."

Get involved – Locate or start a coastal cleanup in your area

http://www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plasticsarticle.htmlhttp://www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plasticsarticle.html

Suggestions From The Aqua Rescue-Program On What You Can Do To Protect Marine Animals

·     Be responsible with your litter: recycle and dispose of trash properly, including fishing line, cigarette butts, six-pack rings, plastic debris, and metal cans. 

• Participate in beach, stream, and roadside cleanups, even if it’s just one day a year.
• Keep a proper lookout when boating; sea turtles like to bask in the sun at the surface of the water, and can be slow to get out of the way of an approaching vessel, putting them at risk of boat strike injuries.
• Never release balloons. Balloons can fall into bodies of water, where animals confuse them for food or become entangled in them. 
• Dispose of oil and other hazardous materials properly, and never pour anything down storm drains. These connect directly to the waterways that lead to the ocean
• Use fertilizer for your lawn and garden sparingly, as these pollutants wash into waterways and out to sea.
• Keep your distance when you come into contact with a marine animal. All marine mammals and sea turtles are federally protected, and humans should remain 100 yards away from the animals. If an animal appears sick or injured, notify the appropriate authorities.
• Never feed wild animals. Human-fed marine animals change their normal wild behavior and run a greater risk of being injured by boats, becoming entangled in fishing gear, or ingesting dangerous items.

           www.aqua.org/care/rescue-program

What You Can Do To Help Protect The Oceans

• Mind Your Carbon Footprint and Reduce Energy Consumption.
• Make safe sustainable seafood choices – reduce the demand for overexploited species by choosing seafood that is both healthful and sustainable.
• Use Fewer Plastic Products.
• Help Take Care of the Beach – Clean up after yourself
• Don’t Purchase Items That Exploit Marine Life - Certain products contribute to the harming of fragile coral reefs and marine populations. Avoid purchasing items such as coral jewelry, tortoiseshell hair accessories (made from hawksbill turtles), and shark products.
• Be an Ocean-Friendly Pet Owner - Read pet food labels and consider seafood sustainability when choosing a diet for your pet. Never flush cat litter, which can contain pathogens harmful to marine life.
• Support Organizations Working to Protect the Ocean
• Influence Change in Your Community
• Travel the Ocean Responsibly - Practice responsible boating, kayaking, and other recreational activities on the water. Never throw anything overboard, and be aware of marine life in the waters around you.
• Educate Yourself About Oceans and Marine Life  - All life on Earth is connected to the ocean and its inhabitants
• Think before you do anything that could affect the ocean (if I do this, what will happen).
• Fish for recreation and let the fish go back into the ocean; take a picture as a trophy instead of a fish.
• Take a trip to the beach and look at the wildlife, so then you can have something personal you want to protect.
• Remember you can always get involved in a cleanup team if you live on a coast.
•  

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/10-things-you-can-do-to-save-the-ocean/

 

What Has Been Accomplished So Far!

The following are only a few of the things that have been done to protect our oceans and marine life. Feel free to share with others any additional ones that you maybe aware of in a reply:

1972 – Marine Mammal Protection Act was the first act by Congress to call specifically for an ecosystem approach to natural resource management and conservation. MMPA "prohibits the taking of marine mammals, and enacts a moratorium on the import ,export, and sale of any marine mammals, along with any marine mammal part or product within the United States”. It was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on October 21, 1972.

1978 – New Zealand’s Parliament passed a Marine Mammals Protection Act.

1988 -The Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act (MARPOL) made it illegal “for any U.S. vessel or land-based operation to dispose of plastics at sea”. It was part of the Annex V international treaty.

Annex V – An international agreement adopted by countries “representing at least half of the shipping fleet tonnage in the world”… “Prohibits the dumping of plastics anywhere in the oceans”

2000 – President Bill Clinton signed an Executive Order 13158 on May 26^th 2000 which brought together “diverse sites and programs” that created a framework of “national system of MPA’s (National Marine Protected Areas) to improve conservation of the nation’s marine ecosystems, cultural resources, and fisheries”.  

Plastic Industry – Is reclaiming plastic pellets that are lost in production and investigating ways to create degradable plastics.

Researchers – Are working with two types of plastics, photodegradable and biodegradable – neither type solves the problem for they still breakup into smaller pieces that can be consumed by marine life who mistake them for food.

16 states have passed laws that six-pack holders must be biodegradable

Beach cleaning – Is being done by coastal cleanup volunteers who collect trash on the beaches and remove it from the marine cycle.

There has been an effort in recent years to educate consumers on the affects of plastics to the ecosystem but more needs to be done.

More consumers are becoming aware of the need to recycle but again more recycling needs to be done.

References: 

 http://www.mpa.gov/resources/publications/factsheets/

HEALTH AFFECTS

 OF

 PLASTICS ON HUMANS 

In an early post I mentioned that we would discuss the affects that plastics have on humans but since this blog is mainly to talk about the influence that plastic pollution has on the oceans and marine life I will only address the subject briefly. Worth noting though is that there is a growing body of literature that suggests that the chemicals that are used in the manufacturing process of plastics are toxic.
A process known as Biomonitoring (“measures concentrations of environmental contaminants in human tissue”) has shown that “phthalates and BPA, as well as other additives in plastics and their metabolites, are present in the human population and that these present a  potential health risks to humans. “Body burdens of chemicals that are used in plastic manufacturing have also been correlated with adverse effects in the human population, including reproductive abnormalities" (e.g. Swan et al. 2005; Swan 2008; Land et al. 2008). In addition there is some evidence of an association “  between urinary concentrations of some phthalate metabolites and biological outcomes (Swan et al. 2005; Swan 2008) such as, “anogenital distance, penile width and testicular decent in male offspring (Swan et al. 2005; Swan 2008). Adults can also be affected negatively by phthalate metabolites in semen quality and free testosterone levels .

When it comes BPA urine levels have shown a "significant relationship between urine levels of BPA and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and abnormalities in liver enzymes"(Stahlhut et al. (2009). It is worth noting however, that the majority of the studies have used “laboratory animals as model organisms” (Talsness et al.2009), to determine the “potential adverse health effects of these chemicals” (Talsness et al.,2009), that “the half-life of BPA is longer than previously estimated, and the very high exposure of premature infants in neonatal intensive-care units to both BPA and phthalates is of great concern” (Calafat et al. 2009). For additional information on the affects of plastics you can visit the follolwing web-site:

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/364/1526/2153.abstract