Plastics decompose at sea with toxic effect say scientists

Head of the study, Dr Katsuhiko Saido, said the discovery was “surprising”, adding: “We found that plastic in the ocean actually decomposes as it is exposed to the rain and sun and other environmental conditions, giving rise to yet another source of global contamination that will continue into the future.”

He said that polystyrene begins to decompose within one year, releasing components that are detectable in the parts-per-million range. Those chemicals also decompose but as the volume of plastics in the ocean is increasing those decomposing products remain a potential problem.

Saido, a chemist with the College of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba, Japan, said his team found that when plastics decompose they releases potentially toxic bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer into the water, causing additional pollution.

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