Story Guide
How did you like the story of Professor Richard Thompson, Professor Tamara Galloway, and Professor Penelope Lindeque?
This page helps you review and deepen your understanding of the story. Some of the content is available only in this story guide.
[Target Audience: 10 years and older]
Quiz game!
Q1: What kind of plastic are microplastics?
Q2: What happens when zooplankton mistakenly ingest microplastics?
Answer:
Q1: What kind of plastic are microplastics?
Answer: 3. Plastic smaller than 5 mm in size
Plastic is an artificial material, not nutrients for plants and animals, and does not exist in nature. Pieces of plastic smaller than 5 mm in size are called microplastics. Microplastics are generated when plastic bags and bottles break down in the ocean due to exposure to waves and sunlight. Another important source of microplastics is fiber waste generated when clothes made with synthetic fibers are washed.
Q2: What happens when zooplankton mistakenly ingest microplastics?
Answer: 1. They eat less real food.
Zooplankton can mistake microplastics for food and consume them. This can lead to several problems, such as a decrease in the intake of real food, malnutrition, and reduced viability. A reduction in zooplankton population then affects organisms that feed on them, potentially leading to negative consequences for the entire ecosystem.
Important points!
There are two types of microplastics: those that come from plastic waste broken-down and those that are intentionally manufactured.
The ingestion of microplastics by zooplankton can have a negative influence on the entire ecosystem.
More details!
In the story of Professor Thompson, Professor Galloway, and Professor Lindeque, we learned that microplastics flow into the ocean. It’s a little-known fact that some toothpastes and facial scrubs contain tiny purpose-made plastic particles called microbeads. Let’s take a closer look at microbeads.
You probably haven’t heard that some toothpastes and facial scrubs contain plastics. What role do you think they play?
Microbeads in toothpaste function as an abrasive, helping to remove plaque from teeth. In facial scrubs, they are added to remove dead skin cells and smooth out the skin surface. However, as we learned, while microbeads may seem beneficial in that aspect, being made of plastic, they raise concerns about their impact on ecosystems when they end up in the ocean and the wider environment. As a result, a global movement to ban the use of microbeads is gaining momentum. The United States established a law in 2015 to phase out the production and sale of certain products containing microbeads. In the EU, Canada, South Korea, and other countries, similar laws banning the production, distribution, or sale of microbeads are also in place. In addition, there are efforts underway by companies. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, out of 150 facial scrubs and body soaps sold in Japan that were included in the survey, only two facial scrubs were confirmed to contain microbeads.
As we can see, public awareness can drive positive change in society. Efforts to address the issue of marine plastics are underway around the world. Let’s gather and pool our information and then think about what we can do to help.