From Global News.
From microplastics to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the ubiquitous presence of plastic and its impact on humans has increasingly captured attention worldwide. In recent years, it has been seen making yet another mark on the world as well — in the form of “plastic rocks.”
Created when plastic is melted together with material such as sand or sea shells, scientists have discovered these deposits across five continents, reaching as far as the corners of a remote island in Brazil. And now, one Toronto museum has started adding these so-called “plastiglomerates” to their geological collection, building a record of the Earth’s history etched in stone.
“This is one of the first examples that we’ve started to see plastic becoming incorporated in the rock record,” says Veronica Di Cecco, a mineral technician at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). “So if you crack open a rock and you see the imprint of a leaf, you could eventually one day see things like imprints of flip flops or plastic bags or water bottles.”
While an estimated 50 per cent of plastic is produced for single-use applications — used for only approximately five minutes before its disposal — plastic waste can take up to 500 years to decompose. Meaning that its pervasive use and long-lasting lifespan may be the most prominent mark that humans leave behind on the geological record.
In November, a final round of global plastic treaty negotiations is set to take place in Busan, South Korea, with an agreement expected to be finalized by the end of the year. The fourth session of negotiations took place in Ottawa back in April, with countries split over whether the treaty should call for caps on plastic production — a position opposed by the global petrochemical industry, according to reports.
For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/video/10814550/plastic-fossils-evidence-of-human-impact-on-world-forever-etched-in-rocks/
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