Environmentalists warn that fine particles from car tires will end up in the ocean and pollute it, turning it into “plastic soup” one day.
Tiny plastic particles from tires and textiles are a leading cause of marine pollution, according to the IUCN.
According to one report, 30% of the plastic that reaches the oceans comes from these fine particles, not large pieces of plastic.
One of the main causes of marine pollution is tire particles released through friction and synthetic materials, experts say.
The IUCN has collected data from seven regions around the world to determine the amount of fine particles in the 9.5 million tons of fresh plastic waste that end up in the ocean each year.
According to the report, between 15% and 30% of plastic pollution is caused by fine particles, mainly due to synthetic substances released by washing these particles and separating them from the friction of car tires.
Francisco Summerd, deputy director of the IUCN Oceans program, said the results were “surprising”.
We found that most of the plastic particles come from clothing or tires. Those little particles go all over the ocean, even our food, that plastic tap needs to be turned off.
IUCN Director General Inger Anderson said the report was “instructive”.
Our daily activities such as washing clothes and driving add so much pollution that it can have devastating effects on human life and health.
However, he admitted that the spread of pollution from tires and synthetics was difficult to fix.
Synthetic fabrics contain more plastic particles in the oceans than in Asia, while tire pollution is more common in the oceans than in the US, Europe and Central Asia.