A research team from the University of La Laguna in the Canary Islands, a Spanish region west of Morocco, recently published details of the pollution in the journal Science of the Total Environment. And they say it could pose a major threat to the marine ecosystem “with unknown environmental consequences”. They found that the “plaster” comes from leaks of crude oil from ships. Once the oil reaches the shores, it covers the rocks, allowing the plastics to be incorporated into the tar. The study found “plaster” evidence in several areas of the Canary Islands, including a nature reserve and some beaches. These areas were identified as hotspots because of the large amount of plastic waste they receive as a result of the prevailing north and northeast winds throughout the year, the study says. However, researchers say that they do not rule out other coastal areas where the “plaster” may be located. “One relevant aspect of the presence of tar in coastal environments is the fact that it contains hydrocarbons that can be photooxidized and adversely affect the marine ecosystem by altering the ecological balance,” the study said. The researchers point to the example of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are present in tar and can be toxic to aquatic organisms. PAHs also act as endocrine disruptors and can be carcinogenic. The combination of tar and plastic also has a negative visual impact, scientists say, and is likely to be present in other coastal areas around the world. “Its combination with plastic materials clearly poses a double threat to the marine ecosystem with unknown environmental consequences, as plastics can be ingested by marine organisms causing intestinal obstruction, internal damage, oxidative stress and damage, significant inflammatory, other inflammatory.” say researchers. “Therefore, further research is needed to fully understand the potential effects of this particular plastic formation, which is likely to exist in many parts of the world.” The plastic found included polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics, types of low-density polymers that are among the most commonly used in the world. The size of the microplastics ranged between one and five millimeters. Further analysis found that almost 91 percent of the microplastics studied were polyethylene and more than nine percent were polypropylene. Researchers say this is consistent with previous studies that have found these types of microplastics on beaches in the Canary Islands. Wood, glass, stones and sand were also found in the “plasterboard”, but to a lesser extent, along with small pieces of rope. The researchers say the “plastitar” could be one of the many new formations associated with plastic waste in the marine environment. These include plasticizers, which are mainly formed by uncontrolled waste incineration and may include molten plastic, sediment or beach sand, basaltic lava and organic residues. plastic rust or plastic debris embedded in coastal rocks exposed to waves. fireproof or molten plastic with a rocky appearance. and anthropoquinas or sedimentary rocks containing plastics, named after the Anthropocene or the informal geological period defined as when human activity began to have a significant impact on climate and ecosystems.
