MICROPLASTICS on the surface of Scottish waters have been found in two- thirds of samples taken, according to a report from Greenpeace.
In the largest survey of its kind in Scotland, samples were taken at 27 different locations around the Scottish coast and islands before being analysed at the NGO’s laboratory at the University of Exeter.
Scientists aboard Greenpeace’s ship, the Beluga, utilised a number of different methodologies to gather more data on plastic pollution in Scottish waters than any previously published survey.
The most complicated procedure they undertook was a survey of microplastics on the sea surface, which found a presence of miscroplastics in 31 of 49 (63 per cent) samples.
Tisha Brown, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: “Although microplastics were found in two out of three samples, this isn’t all bad news.
“The concentrations are lower than in many other regions of the world’s oceans, and hopefully Scottish marine life is at a proportionately lower risk than marine life in those areas.
“However, the results varied significantly in unpredictable ways, and so we would need longer-term testing to be confident of average concentrations.”
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