ANTARCTICA – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a mission to investigate the presence and impact of microplastics in Antarctica.
This initiative, involving two researchers, is part of the agency’s NUTEC Plastics initiative (Nuclear TEChnology for controlling Plastic pollution).
The NUTEC Plastics initiative derives from the IAEA’s projects that utilize radiation technology for plastic recycling and isotopic tracing techniques for marine monitoring.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi emphasized the global challenge posed by microplastics, stating, “Microplastics are a global problem, but the international community still lacks the scientific data needed to make informed decisions.
“This is the goal of NUTEC Plastics: by understanding the plastic origin, movement, and impact, we can make informed decisions on how to address the problem.”
In collaboration with two Argentinian agencies, the Instituto Antártico Argentino (IAA) and the Dirección Nacional del Antártico, the research team will spend the next month in Antarctica.
They will collect samples from 22 sites around Argentina’s Carlini scientific research station, including seawater samples from 12 sites, lake samples from three sites, sediment samples from four sites, and samples from three different sandy beaches.
Additionally, the team will collect limpets, clams, and penguin feces to investigate the presence of microplastics in Antarctic animals.
After preparation, the samples will be sent to the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco for analysis.
The IAEA has been actively involved in addressing microplastics, as evidenced by a workshop organized last year during the Monaco Ocean Week in collaboration with the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM).
The workshop focused on the challenges of assessing microplastics as vectors for pollutants and nutrients in marine organisms, as well as the difficulties in evaluating the impact of plastic additives—chemicals added to modify plastics—on marine ecosystems.
Microplastics can absorb environmental contaminants and nutrients, serving as vectors to transfer these substances to marine organisms upon ingestion.
Plastic additives, including flame retardants or plasticizers, can accumulate in marine organisms, potentially affecting their health and, consequently, the health of humans.
The workshop underscored the need to investigate the role and impact of microplastics and associated chemicals in the marine environment.
CSM research scientist Christine Ferrier-Pagès emphasized the critical importance of understanding the impacts of chemicals leaching from plastics to protect the health of coral reef ecosystems.
She noted that micro and nanoplastic pollution is observed even in the most pristine and remote coral reefs, indicating the widespread nature of the issue.
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