Ocean-friendly Plastic

Embargoed: Tuesday, March 27, 9:00 a.m., Central Time
Length – 1:00
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The world’s oceans have been called “seas of plastic.”

Although an exaggeration, the array of plastic food containers, bottles, bags, and other items found in the oceans does take years to break down and is harmful to marine life.

At the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, scientists from the University of Southern Mississippi reported they’re working on a new nontoxic plastic that they say degrades in seawater within days, rather than years.

The new plastic also has a tendency to sink rather than float. That should help prevent it from washing up on shore and polluting beaches.

More testing is needed, say the researchers, and because international maritime law forbids disposal of plastics at sea, there are legal issues to be addressed.

I’m Marvin Coyner in Washington for the American Chemical Society – improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.

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