Scientists are concerned about new discoveries of microplastics in the sea. For the first time, studies have shown that there is far more microplastic in the small animals in the fjords compared to off the coast. The most microplastic was found at Bekkelaget in the Oslo Fjord. There, the researchers found five to ten times more microplastics than in the sea off the coast. – This is a very active port area with a long history of industry, a lot of boat traffic and activity. It is also an area with discharges from the water treatment plant to the people of Oslo, says Dr. Mari Engvig Løseth, researcher and environmental consultant, at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI). NGI and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) are behind the survey. The findings are described as “alarming”. The microplastic that has been proven comes from packaging and consumables. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Eaten by food fish The small animals that have been examined are food for the fish humans eat. This means that there is a risk that the microplastic will end up in the food chain we humans are part of, according to the researchers. Now more research is needed on whether the microplastic is actually transferred to the parts of the fish that humans eat, the researchers believe. The photos show findings of microplastic. Photo: DNV / NGI The samples were taken from Ålfjord in Vestland and Rogaland, Nordgulfjorden in Vestland, Bekkelaget in Oslo and Lindesnes in Agder. The tests at Bekkelaget in the Oslo Fjord came out worst. There, one of the samples showed ten times more microplastic than in the sea. Samples were taken of the seabed and land in the sea. Photo: DNV (Det Norske Veritas) – Worrying The three western fjords that were included in the survey show considerably lower what we find in the innermost part of the Oslo Fjord. However, plastic particles have nevertheless been found in all the small animals that have been examined both in the fjords and in the sea off the coast. The fjords in Western Norway have less microplastic than the Oslo Fjord. Photo: Willy Haraldsen / Samfoto – Microplastics in nature are worrying and mean that we should think more about the use of plastic and what sources of microplastics we have along the Norwegian coast. Lunchboxes and drinking bottles This type of survey has never been done before, and reveals how our plastic consumption is distributed between sea areas and fjords. Everything from the use of and wear on plastic boats, ropes and discharges from sewage treatment plants results in increasing microplastic concentrations in Norwegian fjords. Mari Engvig Løseth, researcher and environmental consultant at NGI, believes that we should think more about the use of plastic and what sources of microplastic we have along the Norwegian coast. Photo: Mari Engvig Løseth The types of plastic that occur most in the samples are the plastic we use on a daily basis. – These are the types of plastic that are used most in packaging and consumer and household items such as lunch boxes and drink bottles and plastic bags, says Løseth.
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Researchers sound the alarm about the discovery of microplastics in the Oslo Fjord and the fjords in Western Norway – news Vestland
