NZ lags behind on microplastic research, but scientists hopes $12.5m boost could help

Tuesday, 18 September 2018

Glitter, beads, fibres and fragments - microplastics are everywhere.

Foreign research shows there's an abundance of microplastics in drinking water and the fish people eat, but little has been done on its impact in a New Zealand context - something scientists want to address.

ESR scientist Dr Olga Pantos will co-lead a five-year research project made possible by $12.5 million of Government funding in a bid to address the country's knowledge gap in the area.

'Hopefully this study will bring us up to speed with the rest of the world,' Pantos said.

Small pieces of plastic litters the coast at Evans Bay in Wellington. This photo was taken on the day of the Government's bag phase-out announcement.

A survey of exposed beach, harbour and estuary environments in New Zealand found microplastics in eight of 10 samples.

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The Petone Beach Clean Crew and Wellington Sea Sheppard found these plastic beads, called nurdles, on Petone Beach.

* No glitter at Auckland early learning centre

* Tourists causing big spike in sea plastic**

Learning Adventures in Auckland doesn't use glitter - it's considered a microplastic which is harmful to the environment.

Research in Europe, Australia and North America had confirmed their presence in a range of environments.

However, Pantos said very little was known about microplastics and their impact here.

'We need to expand on the risks that they potentially pose to New Zealand because there's species here that you do not find elsewhere.'

Once in the ocean, plastics break down into microplastics, with the potential problems ranging from human health risks to ecosystem collapse.

The United Nations Environment Programme recently likened their impacts to climate change.

Pantos said people already knew about the potential risk to animals, but more work was needed looking into the risks to humans.

Tiny plastic fragments could mimic a grain of sand, affecting the microbial environment which was responsible for the recycling of nutrients.

Auckland University research showed of the eight common fish in New Zealand, seven species of fish regularly ate plastic.

Leading the project with researcher Grant Northcott, Pantos said the ESR work would examine the different types of plastic in the environment, what chemical contaminants were in the plastic and potential solutions.

'[We] will be looking at microbes which can help the plastic break down.'

If New Zealand continued to do nothing, the plastic fragments would continue to accumulate, she said.

'Whatever's in the environment is going to stay there and break down in to smaller and smaller pieces.'

It would include researchers from the University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, the Cawthron Institute and Scion, working with a range of primary sector industry bodies, regional councils and territorial authorities, NGOs, iwi and communities.

They would work with primary sector industry bodies, territorial authorities, NGOs, iwi and communities.