In 2050, there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish if we continue to use the same economic consumption model (as usual)! This is not an arbitrary estimate, but a calculation based on sound research in the context of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Already, at least eight million tons of plastic enter the world’s seas every year. The Mediterranean is considered to be particularly burdened in terms of pollution, since it is estimated that for every 100 sq.m. The seabed accounts for approximately 43.55% of garbage, of which 70-80% is plastic of various types.

The very disturbing effects of plastic pollution in our own seas were noted in a recent research publication by the Archipelago Marine Protection Institute titled “First Estimate of Microlitter Ingested by Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Seals Found Along the Coast of Samos. “The findings are shocking: all 25 marine animals studied (eight dolphins, two Mediterranean seals and 15 sea turtles) were found to have microplastics, a total of 10,639 plastic fibers! Contaminants were found in the gastrointestinal tract, esophagus, stomach and intestines of the dead animals, which, however, died from causes other than plastic surgery.This is the first study in the Aegean to document microplastic contamination of marine mammals and turtles.The analyzes were carried out in the laboratories of the Institute of the Archipelago, and the studies were carried out in collaboration with scientists from the Department of Biomedicine, University of Padua, Anton Dorn Zoological Station in Italy and the University of Baja California Sur in Mexico.

“This is a very important study because cetaceans and other marine animals we have studied are at the top of the food chain in the water and are an indicator of the overall situation. Microplastics have been transmitted to animals through food. We see that fragments and fibers of plastic waste have already penetrated all levels of ecosystems and the food chain of the Greek seas,” Anastasia Miliou, research director of Archipelagos, told K.

With this study, the Institute completes the first cycle of studies on the presence of plastic pollutants, which covers the entire spectrum of marine life, from widespread species of fish and invertebrates to cetaceans, and from marine life to water, sediment, and beaches. , while seabirds have also been explored.

10,639 plastic fibers were found in 25 marine animals, dolphins, Mediterranean seals and turtles, found off the coast of Samos, according to a study by the Archipelagos Institute for the Protection of the Marine Environment.

“Since 2009, we have released 14 scientific publications. We examined many thousands of different samples, plastic fragments and fibers were found almost everywhere. Our research work continues and expands as long-term studies are required to understand the impact of plastic pollution on the health of marine species, as well as the health of all of us. Also, in addition to the toxic chemicals that plastic contains as a result of its production, when it is in the marine environment for months or years, it acts like a “sponge”, like other toxic substances found in water, such as pesticides. , organochlorine compounds, etc. Thus, when plastic fragments enter various organisms along the food chain, the toxic effects are manifold,” emphasizes Ms. Miliou. The Archipelago researcher even points out the particular danger of even smaller pieces, nanoplastics, which are much more dangerous because they can penetrate the tissues of organisms and humans. “The takeaway is not to not eat fish, but the opposite,” Ms. Miliou explains, “the point is that we all think about what we are doing, because right now our ecological footprint is especially large.”

We are talking about the sea, but the problem is on land, because plastic pollution is dispersed there. “In Greece, we still create more problems than we solve, including in the field of environmental protection. Despite the proclamations of green and blue growth and the elimination of single-use plastic, the picture of our country is an endless open dump. “Despite all the official statements of the Greek and European authorities and brilliant campaigns, the problem of plastic pollution is mainly considered from the point of view of communication and little in substance,” says the director of the Archipelago Research Center.

Archipelagos highlights the issue of open landfills or (euphemistically) landfills on islands that are points of mass dispersal (by wind) of plastic materials. He also emphasizes that plastic bag measures are a drop in the ocean, as the biggest source of plastic pollution is in the food industry and retail in general, as well as in the widespread availability of single-use plastic packaging products to consumers. And as Anastasia Miliou warns: “Hazardous plastic pollution accumulates and increases year after year, seeps into ecosystems and the food chain, and is a heavy, toxic legacy that we will leave to future generations as the new environmental crisis we are preparing for them.”