Synopsis
Plastic floats, and millions of tonnes enter the ocean every year. Scientists see alarming results: synthetic hormones are released as plastic breaks down into tiny particles through wind, wave and sun exposure. Once in seawater, plastic absorbs toxic substances known as POPs in a density a million times higher than outside. Fish and sea birds mistake plastic for food, with evidence that these toxins are entering the food chain and winding up in our bodies.Worse still, the plastic doesn’t biodegrade and becomes trapped in massive maelstroms. Scientists have identified five of these gyres, some larger than Spain and Portugal combined.
This is what we know so far, many questions remain. The amount of plastic in the gyres has been constant for the past twenty years, leaving millions of tons unaccounted for. Where has the plastic gone? We are on the verge of solving a mystery that might uncover one of the biggest ecological disasters of our time.
