Ecotoxicological studies on the effects of microplastics on human health and the environment have, until now, frequently produced contradictory results. In relevant studies on the health risks due to microplastics, human tissue such as intestinal cells or marine organisms such as crabs and mussels were subjected to various microplastic particle concentrations in order to research the interactions with cell tissue. These microparticles were previously categorised according to the type of plastic, the shape and the size. Their chemical and physical properties were, however, seldom taken into account. An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Bayreuth headed by Prof. Dr. Christian Laforsch has now established that the characteristics of the conventional polystyrene that is frequently used in these studies differ significantly depending on the manufacturer, and that it also affects cell tissue differently. Generalised statements on health hazards or ecological risks from microplastics are therefore considered by the scientists to be problematical.

The metabolising of plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with the help of enzymes has been a subject of research for many years. Several enzymes – so-called polyester hydrolases – which occur in bacteria and fungi, can degrade PET plastic up to a certain level. Its further development for industrial use has so far been very time-consuming. A working group headed by Dr. Heinz-Georg Jahnke from the University of Leipzig has developed a new measuring method with which plastic-degrading enzymes could be identified and quantified faster than before, thus significantly accelerating the development of such enzymes.

At the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) on 2 March in Nairobi, the representatives of the member states launched a legally binding international agreement against plastic pollution of the environment, for which it received much praise from politicians, environmental protection organisations and industry associations. The World Plastics Council as well as the German associations of the chemical and plastics industry all expressed a positive view of the agreement.

According to a US study, the United States of America is the biggest producer of plastic waste worldwide. In 2016, some 42 million tons of plastic waste was generated there – more than twice as much as was produced by China and more than all the countries of the European Union together, write the authors of an expert report. The report from the non-profit National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine was submitted to the US government, and contains a number of recommendations. Above all the production of new plastics should, in the opinion of the academies, be reduced.