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Plastics in the Marine Environment: The Dark Side of a Modern Gift

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Book cover Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Part of the book series: Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ((RECT,volume 220))

Abstract

Plastics are one of the most widely used materials in the world; they are broadly integrated into today’s lifestyle and make a major contribution to almost all product areas. The typical characteristics that render them so useful relate primarily to the fact that they are both flexible and durable. These characteristics are very useful when plastics are used in everyday life. But when plastics are discarded into the environment they can persist for very long periods of time. Because of their nearly indestructible morphology and the toxins they contain, plastics can seriously affect ecosystems (UNEP 2005).

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Notes

  1. 1.

     The term plastics refers to a large number of synthetic organic compounds that have a polymeric structure and the ability to be cast in various shapes. However, the term plastic only refers to the plasticity of a material.

  2. 2.

     Degradation implies here to the loss of useful properties following chemical changes in polymeric materials. When plastic material is technically said to be fully degraded, the polymer structure no longer exists (Andrady 1994 ).

  3. 3.

     Actinism is the intrinsic property in radiation that produces photochemical activity.

  4. 4.

     A chromophore is a chemical group capable of selective light absorption resulting in the coloration of certain aromatic organic compounds.

  5. 5.

     A free-radical is a usually short-lived atom or molecule with at least one unpaired electron. Free-radicals are often highly reactive and unstable.

  6. 6.

     A fish trap consisting of a net suspended over a series of hoops, laid horizontally in the water.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Salko de Wolf and Dirk Bruin for providing some very useful photos.

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  1. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Sciencepark 904, Amsterdam, 1098 XH, The Netherlands

    Jort Hammer, Michiel H. S. Kraak & John R. Parsons

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Hammer, J., Kraak, M.H.S., Parsons, J.R. (2012). Plastics in the Marine Environment: The Dark Side of a Modern Gift. In: Whitacre, D. (eds) Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol 220. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3414-6_1

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