Microplastics have been found in seawater as well as seabed and seabed sediments, Wang Juying, deputy director of the National Marine Environment Monitoring Center, said at a regular press conference held by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment today.

Some journalists asked, microplastics are an important source of Marine pollution. Are microplastics found in shellfish and fish? What are the health implications? What measures has the Ministry of Ecology and Environment taken so far and what results have been achieved? What will be the next steps?

According to Wang Juying, the answer is yes. From the reports and studies so far, microplastics have been found in seawater, as well as on the ocean floor and in seabed sediments.

From academia and regulators, there is general agreement that microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters, including in the organisms we've just mentioned. In addition to shellfish, microplastics have been reported in large mammals, as well as fish and zooplankton. According to the current domestic and international reports, microplastic particles are commonly detected in shellfish. In 2017, our laboratory conducted relevant research, about 76% of fish intestinal and digestive tract microplastics were detected.

Microplastics are a new type of environmental problem, and there is room for further research, including standard methods for monitoring, Wang said. As you can see, some studies may detect very high concentrations of microplastics, mainly because the membranes that are filtered are very fine, so you can count very fine plastic particles, and if you use a slightly larger pore size, you may detect several orders of magnitude worse. Therefore, from the perspective of the academic community, the analytical methods are not unified, and the comparability between different studies is not very strong. Of course, the academic community is now trying to develop the corresponding standardized analysis methods. The effects on ecosystems and human health are also being studied. From what has been reported so far, the vast majority of laboratory studies on the effects of microplastics on organisms have been conducted at concentrations higher than those detected in the environment. There may also be some uncertainty about the actual effects extrapolated from very high concentrations. In terms of human health, there is currently no direct evidence that seafood consumption has an impact on human health, according to UNESCO. However, I personally believe that the potential impact should not be underestimated, because microplastics are particles smaller than 5 millimeters and can continue to decompose, the impact on human health needs to be paid attention to.

Wang Juying pointed out that microplastics are an environmental issue of great concern to the international community in recent years. In 2016, the United Nations Environment Assembly equated the issue of Marine plastic waste and microplastics to global climate change and other major environmental issues. Relevant countries and environmental organizations have issued some action measures and regulations.

Our country has always attached great importance to the prevention and control of Marine garbage and plastic waste. For example, our country first issued a restriction on plastic bags, banning the production and use of plastic bags less than 0.25 mm thick. Regulations on Marine environmental protection and major plans, such as the Action Plan for water pollution prevention and control, call for strengthening the prevention and control of pollution from land-based sources into the sea and strictly controlling the dumping of plastic waste into the sea. In addition, the domestic waste classification system implemented in China effectively reduces the input of land and sea waste, meanwhile, China also strengthens the recycling and utilization of solid waste, especially plastic waste, to prevent land waste from entering the sea at the source. A foreign research scholar's article data shows that the European Union's plastic recycling rate is 30%, the second is China's 25% recycling rate, the world's average recycling rate level is 9%, so China's solid waste recycling and utilization of this piece of measures is relatively powerful.

Wang Juying said that the recent implementation of the agricultural and rural pollution control action plan, clearly put forward the plastic film recycling requirements, further from the source to prevent land-based plastic waste into the sea input. The Ministry of Science and Technology has launched a key research and development project to study the sources, distribution and prevention of Marine microplastics. Relevant departments also began to implement operational Marine garbage monitoring in 2007, and began to monitor Marine microplastics in 2016. Secondly, we also actively promote public participation, raise public awareness, change the means of public consumption, and improve the use of disposable consumption products.

Recently, prime minister li keqiang, and the Canadian prime minister trudeau add annual dialogue in a third, as for our common efforts to governance Marine garbage issued a joint statement, that the Chinese government attaches great importance to Marine litter and Marine plastic pollution problems, and will work together with the international community, including Canada, take many effective measures to prevent and control Marine garbage and plastic.

Wang Juying pointed out that in the next step, we will take the joint statement as an opportunity to further implement the relevant work requirements of the joint statement and carry out the prevention and control of Marine microplastic pollution from six aspects according to the overall idea of overall planning, key breakthrough and participation of the whole people. First, we will further study a series of measures such as the prevention and control plan of Marine garbage (microplastics), and layout the prevention and control of Marine garbage. Second, strengthen Marine garbage monitoring and grasp the distribution rules of Marine garbage and microplastics. Third, strengthen scientific research in related fields to more scientifically assess the environmental impact of Marine garbage, especially the impact of microplastics on Marine ecology and human health. Fourth, we will increase support for the participation of social capital in garbage classification, and strengthen the recycling and resource utilization of plastic waste. Fifth, increase public publicity and education, improve public awareness, change consumption habits, reduce the use of disposable plastic products. Sixth, we will participate in the international process of addressing Marine garbage and plastic pollution, and actively promote the global management of Marine garbage. In short, we will take various measures to promote the prevention and control of Marine microplastic pollution and protect the Marine ecological environment.

(Article source: Chinanews.com)