Plastic in the Black Sea - is the ecological balance disturbed?

In the recent years, there has been increasing talk about microplastics - the particles that are all around us and which are now increasing to dangerous concentrations. The European Directive, which restricts the use of single-use plastic articles, is not yet strictly applied in this country, although it came into force two years ago. In the meantime, microplastic particles are found not only in the sea, but also in the seafood we eat.

There are 429 000 microplastic particles per square kilometre in the Black Sea, according to the findings of the first study in this country. And since the main pollutant of the sea are rivers, now scientists from the Institute of Oceanology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) are working on their next project - the pollution of the Danube.

"In our reach of the Danube, where we studied - around Rousse and Tutrakan, this is the lower reach of the Danube, the amounts of plastics were much lower than in Serbia, but this is a snapshot of the state of microplastics, I think monitoring should be done, that is, seasonally," said Assoc. Prof. Violin Raikov of the Institute of Oenology of BAS.

Scientists have found that pollution is strongest in the area of Cape Kaliakra and at the mouth of the Kamchia River.

"The study of microplastics is a bit more difficult than other plastics because they are diverse and are produced when large plastics are crushed and broken down. At the moment, the situation is such that there are different colours of all types of plastics, including those from the bottles. These colours actually show the different type of plastics," added Assoc. Prof. Violin Raikov.

Each movement of the water dislodges and spreads the microparticles, which are deposited on the bottom and can no longer be extracted from the sediment. Plastics undergo several stages of degradation, the last being their transformation into nanoparticles.

"Extremely microscopic particles, which unfortunately have already been found in the blood in the lungs and in various tissues in human beings after experiments. This means that they are present in all levels of biological organisation, that is, starting from marine organisms to all other animals and plants," he added.

According to the World Health Organisation, microplastics enter the human body mainly through water and seafood. Their impact on our health is not yet fully understood, but it is suggested that they affect the endocrine and reproductive systems. Scientists have already found that there is plastic residue in Black Sea fish.

"We need to do more research to see what concentrations these plastics are in. It is a problem if we find them in the muscle tissue, i.e., in the body. So far we have found them in the gastrointestinal tract," said Assoc. Prof. Violin Raikov.

However, the organisms most directly affected by plastic pollution are those that filter seawater, such as mussels and crabs. That is why Europe has been trying to limit single-use plastics for three years.

"Unfortunately, this is not happening in Bulgaria, at least we do not see it. Self-consciousness is neededd, but when huge quantities of cheap material are available, which is literally everywhere, people don't think," said Assoc. Violin Raikov.

He added that there are far from only plastic products in the sea and this is due to the irresponsibility of people. The latest strange finds that scientists are discovering are parts of refrigerators, car engines, parts of toilet seats, and various products of the pharmaceutical industry.

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