The Science behind our Idea
Microplastic - An invisible threat
Microplastic is basically invisible, as the plastic particles are only between
0.001mm & 1 mm small.
Microplastic even found in most of us
Studies have shown that plastic is not only in 93% of our bottled drinking water, but they also found microplastic in the bodies of 93% of Americans.
UV- light can make it visible
Scientists make use of UV-light to make microplastic visible, for example in ocean water or animals, that are transparent enough, so that the tiny particles are visible under the microscope.
How Microplastic gets into our bodies
Large parts of the single-use plastic products we throw away end up in landfills, rivers or the ocean. With help of the sun and rain, the plastic trash gets broken down into smaller and smaller pieces, until it is so small that even tiny living beings in the ocean drink and eat it. Then other animals or we as humans eat those plants and small animals and with them the plastic we threw away.
Especially in seafood are large amounts of plastic, however as most of our drinking water is also contaminated, plastic particles can also be found in other products, such as salt, honey and beer.
This can cause problems, not only to the ocean environment and animals in the sea, but also to our health.
The dangers of microplastic
Cancer
1.
Infertility
2.
Various skin diseases
3.
Allergies
4.
Lung problems
5.
Liver Disfunction
6.
Hormonal Change
7.
Headache
8.
Asthma & Throat Problems
9.
Lung problems
10.
Most plastic, like the highlighters we used for our project, contain fluorescent molecules, phosphors, which glow under UV light
Concepts of Plant Biology we used for our project
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Plant stem contains the vascular bundle (Xylem + Phloem)
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Water travels only against the force of gravity through the Xylem from the roots towards the leaves & blossoms
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OSMOSIS: the movement of water molecules through a membrane from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration --> for example from the outside of the flower into the more dry stem
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CAPILLARITY: tendency of liquid to rise up in narrow tubes, like the cells in the stems
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TRANSPIRATION: water evaporates from petals, but plastic particles stay inside the plant
Different flowers absorbed the plastic particles differently, letting them glow more or less bright
Resources & References
Are Microplastics in Food a Threat to Your Health? (n.d.). Retrieved 9 November 2018, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/microplastics
Capillary Action | Encyclopedia.com. (n.d.). Retrieved 19 November 2018, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/earth-and-environment/ecology-and-environmentalism/environmental-studies/capillary-action.
do Sul, J. A. I., & Costa, M. F. (2014). The present and future of microplastic pollution in the marine environment. Environmental pollution, 185, 352-364.
Eduafo, P., & Colorado School of Mines. Metallurgical Materials Engineering. (2016). Investigation of recovery and recycling of rare earth elements from waste fluorescent lamp phosphors.
Isolation of microplastics in biota-rich seawater samples and marine organisms. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 November 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3970126/.
Maes, T., Jessop, R., Wellner, N., Haupt, K., & Mayes, A. G. (2017). A rapid-screening approach to detect and quantify microplastics based on fluorescent tagging with Nile Red. Scientific Reports, 7, 44501. http://doi.org/10.1038/srep44501.
Microplastic Pollution in Table Salts from China. - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 November 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26486565.
Non-pollen particulates in honey and sugar. - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved 23 October 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24160778.
Phosphor Research Society. (1999). Phosphor handbook (The CRC Press laser and optical science and technology series). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Plastic and Human Health: A Micro Issue? - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved 23 October 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28531345
Royte, E. (2018, May 16). We Know Plastic Is Harming Marine Life. What About Us? Retrieved October 8, 2018, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/science/we-know-plastic-is-harming-marine-life-what-about-us.aspx
Singleton, J., & Suchow, L. (1963). Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Fluorescent Lamp Phosphors. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 110(1), 36.
Synthetic particles as contaminants in German beers. - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved 23 October 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25056358.
Tan Zi Xi - Oceanic Global. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2018, from https://oceanic.global/tan-zi-xi/
Vanishing Point [PDF]. (2017, October). HOBART: INSTITUTE FOR MARINE AND ANTARCTIC STUDIES.
Vethaak A. D. & Leslie H. A. Plastic Debris Is a Human Health Issue. Environ. Sci. Technol. 50, 6825–6 (2016).
Wu, Yufeng, Wang, Baolei, Zhang, Qijun, Li, Ruiqing, Sun, Chenghua, & Wang, Wei. (2014). Recovery of rare earth elements from waste fluorescent phosphors: Na 2 O 2 molten salt decomposition. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 16(4), 635-641.
Weber, M. (1998). Selected papers on phosphors, light emitting diodes, and scintillators : Applications of photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence, electroluminescence, and radioluminescence (SPIE milestone series ; v. MS 151). Bellingham, Wash. ;: SPIE Optical Engineering Press.
What Factors Affect How a Flower Absorbs Water? | Home Guides | SF Gate. (n.d.). Retrieved 23 October 2018, from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/factors-affect-flower-absorbs-water-65871.html.