Mystery as UK beaches plagued by plastic that looks EXACTLY like pebbles – and some contain deadly metals
A MYSTERIOUS new type of pollution is washing up on Britain's beaches.
Chunks of grey, rounded plastic resembling pebbles are littering the Cornish coast, and could be hiding in plain sight along beaches all over the world.
Worse still, the hunks of pollution are thought to contain deadly metals such as lead.
These can poison fish and other sea creatures, potentially making their way up the food chain to humans.
One British scientist has been tracking the strange form of pollution along Cornwall's Whitsand Bay.
Dr Andrew Turner, an environmental scientist at the University of Plymouth, says the lumps – known as pyroplastics – are formed when plastic is heated or melted.
They likely end up on British shores after they're dumped into ocean from distant locations – likely areas where they burn their plastic waste en masse.
Over time, the singed wads are weathered in much the same way as rocks, whittled down by sand and sea to form round, grey blocks of waste.
"Pyroplastics are evidently formed from melting or burning of plastic," Dr Turner and his team write in a paper about their findings.
"They are distinctly different from manufactured (primary and secondary) marine plastics in terms of origin, appearance and thickness."
The Plymouth team analysed 165 chunks of pyroplastic collected from Cornwall beaches.
They showed the lumps were mostly made up of the plastics polyethylene, which makes up most plastic bags and packaging, and polypropylene, which is used for packaging and containers.
How you can help end plastic pollution
Here are ten tips from the WWF...
1) Carry a reusable coffee cup or flask
2) Avoid plastic straws where possible
3) Carry a spork or reuse your plastic forks and spoons
4) Use foil (which is recyclable) instead of cling film
5) Swap single-use plastic bottles for reusable alternatives
6) Use loose leaf tea with a tea strainer instead of teabags that are sealed with plastic
7) Quit the gum! Chewing gum (made from plastic itself) can be swapped for plastic free alternatives such as Glee or Chewsy
8) Use eco-friendly, biodegradable glitter instead of plastic-based glitter
9) Consider getting your milk delivered in glass bottles which are reused and recycled instead of your usual plastic pint
10) Choose wine bottles with natural cork stoppers instead of plastic stoppers
In other plastic pollution news, these National Geographic images of birds trapped in plastic bags shocked the world.
Check out this Brit's shocking photos of 4,490 pieces of plastic he used in a year… and 70 per cent can’t be recycled.
Earlier this year, an incredible plastic that can be recycled over and over again was branded a "holy grail" breakthrough.
Are you worried about plastic pollution? Let us know in the comments!
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