Plastic pollution is everywhere. Really everywhere? Yes and as much visibly as invisible. And it is precisely this invisible pollution that was highlighted by researchers of Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (Nioz) and the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) in a study published on July 9, 2025 in the journal Nature.
Macro, micro and nano… plastic
It is no longer a secret for anyone, the ocean is polluted by the presence of plastic. There are three forms, or rather three units of size of plastic pollution in water.
We first have macroplastic. These are waste whose size is at least 5 millimeters. It is most of the floating visible waste on the surface of the water for example.
Then we have the microplastics. They are stored in this category when their size is less than 5 millimeters. They are more difficult to identify it is very complicated to identify them with the naked eye in the immensity of the ocean.
And finally, for plastic pollution, we have even smaller particles: nanoplastics. These are definitely invisible to the naked eye and can only be identified by the analysis of water samples. Indeed, these tiny plastic particles make less than 1 micrometer (µm).
And in the North Atlantic, there would be no less than 27 million tonnes.
“A shocking quantity” and immortal
If it needed an argument to reassure you about this incredible quantity of nanoplastics, it is because it is an extrapolation, an estimate made by the researchers.
Indeed, for their study, the Dutch researchers have taken water samples from twelve places located in the North Atlantic. They then passed the samples in a “colander” which filled the water to retain the elements of the millimeter, then analyzed the remaining filtered water.
From this analysis, the researchers therefore reached an estimate of 27 million tonnes. “” “A shocking quantity”Sophie Ten Hietbrink was surprised, the main author of the study published in Naturein a Nioz press release.
And the worst in all of this is that these plastic particles can never be cleaned.
Where does this pollution come from and what does that imply?
These plastic nanoparticles present in enormous quantities and “shocking” can have various origins. On the one hand, they can come from the various rivers, already polluted which pour into the ocean, but they can also be transported by the rain from the sky or even come from plastic pieces already present in the ocean which decompose.
But what could this plastic pollution involve for us, but also the marine world?
As we know, plastic pollution is one of the most harmful to the marine world which contaminates environments over very long periods and which make many victims among the species that live there. But the fact that these particles are so small involves even deeper plastic pollution.
“” “We already know that nanoplastics can penetrate deep into our body. They are even found in brain tissues. Now that we know that they are omnipresent in the oceans, it is also obvious that they penetrate the entire ecosystem, bacteria and other microorganisms with fish and higher predators such as humans“Explained Helge Niemann, co -author of the study, in the Nioz press release.
It remains to be seen now whether nanoplastics are also present in such quantities in other oceans. “” “It is to be feared, but it requires being proven“Explained Helge Niemann.
Source: Nioz
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
