Greenpeace conducted a study in seven bathing waters in Austria to monitor the presence of microplastics – and reliable results were obtained every time. The Old Danube in Vienna performed worst with a content of 4.8 microplastic particles per liter of water.
The identified plastic particles were composed of various materials, including polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, cellophane, polyacrylamide and synthetic rubber. In total, particles of 15 different types of plastic were found, which can be found in products such as tires, clothing, packaging and building materials.
Attersee and Lunzer See little polluted
In addition to the Old Danube, the Neusiedler See and Neufelder See in Burgenland, the Lunzer See in Lower Austria, the Attersee in Upper Austria, the Wolfgangsee in Salzburg and the Wörthersee in Carinthia were also examined. The lowest concentrations were found in two samples from the Attersee and the Lunzersee with 1.1 microplastic particles per litre.
For the study, 2.9 liters of water was taken from each sample point and very small particles were filtered in the laboratory with a 5 micron silver filter and the residues were analyzed with a microscope and infrared spectrometer.
Long-term consequences little studied
According to Greenpeace, the health effects, especially the long-term consequences, of microplastics on humans and animals have not yet been sufficiently investigated. There is evidence that micro- or even smaller nanoplastic particles can activate mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract involved in local inflammatory and immune responses.
Source: Krone
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