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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRecorded Presentation: Microplastics in Sand Teacher Training Microplastics in Sand A Guide for Coastal Science Teachers 1 Purpose of Presentation: Promote awareness of single use plastic Promote beach cleanups Provide a fun, engaging tool for science teachers Explain how to use lab equipment so teachers can provide this tool for their students 2 Why? 10 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans annually We produce ~380 million tons of plastic each year and half is disposable Most plastic does not get recycled Plastic does not decompose, it breaks into tiny pieces that last for hundreds of years Plastic looks like food to aquatic animals, chemicals are found in our bloodstream Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging. Up to 50% of plastics that we use are single-use. We produce roughly 380 million tons of plastic each year and half of it is disposable! In the U..S,. plastic recycling declined to about 5-6% in 2021, down from a high of 9.5% in 2014. The latest data shows that around 10 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans annually. The nature of petroleum based disposable plastic makes it difficult to recycle and they have to add new virgin materials and chemicals to it to do so. Additionally there are a limited number of items that recycled plastic can be used. Petroleum based plastic is not biodegradable and usually goes into a landfill where it is buried or it gets into the water and finds it’s way into the ocean. Although plastic will not biodegrade (decompose into natural substance like soil,) it will degrade (break down) into tiny particles after many years. In the process of breaking down, it releases toxic chemicals (additives that were used to shape and harden the plastic) which make their way into our food and water supply. These toxic chemicals are now being found in our bloodstream and the latest research has found them to disrupt the Endocrine system which can cause cancer, infertility, birth defects, impaired immunity and many other ailments. We produce hundreds of millions of tons of plastic every year, most of which cannot be recycled. It’s obvious that we need to use less plastic, move towards environmentally sustainable products and services and come up with technology that recycles plastic more efficiently.  3 Beach cleanups motivate students 4 Step 1: Collect about a gallon of sand, preferably from the rack line 5 6 Equipment and Supplies needed to isolate microplastic in sand: Paper plates, paper cups, spoons or scoops, tweezers, water, and a power source Separator funnel and ring stand Vacuum pump and hoses Erlenmeyer flask with vacuum hoses Vacuum flask and filters Petri dishes Dissecting scope or microscope Camera (optional) 7 8 9 Separator funnel and ring stand Place about 1 teaspoon of cleaned sand into a cup of water Mix and let settle Pour the top half of the mixture into the separator funnel, discard the rest Let the mixture settle Decant the lower half of the mixture and discard Decant the rest of the mixture into a clean cup Step 2: Separator Funnel 10 Step 3: Save the top inch of the water in the funnel. Place a filter into the vacuum flask, and pour the sample into the vacuum flask 11 Step 4: Turn on the vacuum pump and pull the sample into the flask 12 Step 5: Place the filter in the petri dish, and look at it under the dissecting scope 13 14 15 16 17 Questions for students: How many microplastics were in the sample? What colors were they? Where do you think they came from? What is the definition of a microplastic fiber? What will you change in your life after learning about microplastics? 18 Food for thought: Every year, 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans Most new clothes are made out of plastic Microplastics have been found in air, rivers, soil, drinking water, and table salt Only 5% of plastic in the U.S. is currently recycled 19 20 Pledge 21 Questions? Contact Lee First at leefrider7@gmail.com Twinharborswaterkeeper.org 22