A gloomy and cold day, but the first flowers of the year have appeared.
Feb. 1 in the northeast.
Category: Uncategorized
Large Numbers of Plastic Particles Are In Bottled Water
There is tremendous concern about microplastics and what effects they have on humans when ingested (yes, they are found in our bodies). Microplastics are the tiny plastic particles that occur as plastic breaks down over time. They have been found in foods that we eat, water that we drink, and basically everywhere.
A new study confirms that bottled water is a huge source of microplastics in our diet. The researchers counted the microplastics in 3 brands of bottled water (without revealing the brands) and found that a liter contained an average of 240,000 plastic fragments. This is 10 to 100 times more than previous estimates, which had been based on larger plastic particle sizes.
Microplastics are 1 µm to 5 mm in length, while nanoplastic particles are even smaller plastic pieces - less than 1 µm or micrometer. (In contrast: human hair is generally about 70 micrometers thick). Nanoparticles are thought to be more toxic because they can more easily get into the body (into the lungs, blood, and organs) due to their small size.
Currently it is unknown what or if there are any effects from all these plastic particles in our bodies, but scientists are worried.
From Science Daily: Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits
In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans and other creatures, with unknown potential health and ecosystem effects. One big focus of research: bottled water, which has been shown to contain tens of thousands of identifiable fragments in each container. ...continue reading "Large Numbers of Plastic Particles Are In Bottled Water"
Deer Population Could Decline From Chronic Wasting Disease
One topic of concern is chronic wasting disease and its slow spread throughout the US and Canada. Now found in 30 states! Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that has no cure and is always fatal. It is similar to mad cow disease, but this fatal neurological disease occurs in cervids, such as deer, elk, and moose.
Recently, The Atlantic had an article about the spread of chronic wasting disease, and how it could ultimately result in the extinction of deer in the US. Some estimates already have the deer population down several million (for several reasons, not just CWD). Or perhaps deer populations will get decimated, with only some deer living and reproducing until the age of 2, and then dying.
This is because the disease can be transmitted before symptoms appear. It takes a while (more than a year) for a deer to show symptoms and die, and it can be passed to newborn fawns from the mother deer when she uses her tongue to groom the newborn.
Incredibly, the disease particles are shed into the environment (e.g., from deer feces) and stay in the soil for at least a decade. It can even be taken up by plants (thus it's in the leaves that deer eat) from the soil.
And yes, if you're wondering, scientists are very concerned that some day this incurable prion disease can make the jump to humans. So far it hasn't, but this is one reason why hunters are told to bring in deer heads for testing (and definitely to not eat deer meat until results come back negative). Unfortunately, many people resist believing that there is a problem, and testing efforts vary from state to state.
Excerpts from The Atlantic: An Incurable Disease Is Coming for Deer
Jorge is leading a multiyear study at the University of Georgia on chronic wasting disease, an always-fatal neurological illness. Ubiquitous deer may be, but in CWD, they face a serious threat. From its first appearance in Colorado in the late 1960s, CWD has crawled steadily across the country. It is now found in more than 30 states and multiple Canadian provinces. ...continue reading "Deer Population Could Decline From Chronic Wasting Disease"
Will 2024 Be Warmer Than 2023?
It became official this month - the year 2023 was the warmest year on record! The global average temperature was significantly warmer than any other year.
Uh-oh. This is climate change, and the temperature increase is fueled by the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, gas) - which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the air.
Scientists think that 2023 is probably the hottest year going back 125,000 years. Will 2024 be another record-breaking year? The baseline is being set higher and higher, yet we keep breaking the new baselines. Important: "The 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade."
Excerpts from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - [do go to the site and see the graphics]: 2023 was the world’s warmest year on record, by far
It’s official: 2023 was the planet’s warmest year on record, according to an analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Along with the historic heat, Antarctic sea ice coverage dropped to a record low in 2023. ...continue reading "Will 2024 Be Warmer Than 2023?"
Happy Holidays!
Best wishes for a fabulous 2024!
Winter Solstice 2023
Winter solstice today. It's the shortest daylight period, and the longest night.
After today, daylight will start increasing! But the big question is: what will the rest of winter be like?
The Most Popular Holiday in the US
Big Problem With Recycled Plastics
Some bad news about using recycled plastics in consumer goods . Scientists found that recycled plastics contain hundreds of toxic chemicals - everything from pesticides to pharmaceutical medicines. In other words, the chemicals the plastics were originally exposed to or made up of are still sticking around.
European researchers analyzed samples of plastic pellets (High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pellets) that were collected from plastics recycling facilities from countries in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. They found 491 chemical compounds in the plastic pellets, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and plastic additives. Also "forever chemicals" such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
The study results were especially worrisome because polyethylene is such a commonly used plastic, one that is considered OK. It's even in clear wrap used to wrap food, as well as milk and juice containers. But...keep in mind that all plastics leach chemicals even when they are "virgin" (used for the first time). Recycling plastics just adds more chemicals to them.
Very important points from the research: 1) About 13,000 chemicals are currently known to be used in the production of plastics materials and products [2].
2) Several of these chemicals have hazardous properties while thousands of the chemicals lack data, even basic toxicological data. (In other words - no one knows if these chemicals are toxic.)
3) Non-intentionally added substances may further contaminate plastics during production, when it's used, and even during the recycling process. This results in recycled plastic materials that contain unknown numbers of chemical substances in unknown concentrations.
In other words: User beware. No one is looking out for you and making sure the stuff is safe. Efforts need to be made (laws passed) that hazardous chemicals are not used in making plastics. [Researchers stressing this.]
From Science Daily: Scientists found hundreds of toxic chemicals in recycled plastics
When scientists examined pellets from recycled plastic collected in 13 countries they found hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Because of this, the scientists judge recycled plastics unfit for most purposes and a hinder in the attempts to create a circular economy. ...continue reading "Big Problem With Recycled Plastics"
Fall Equinox
Today is the equinox. Fall is here, yet outside it's warm and all the flowers are blooming.
Labor Day
Hope your Labor Day was restful!
Record-breaking heat coming up this week in much of the United States.