Professor Andrzej Plichta warns of microplastic persistence in environment

During the XXX Science Festival in Warsaw, Professor Andrzej Plichta from the Warsaw University of Technology discussed the environmental impact of plastic fragmentation. He explained that while plastic objects may appear to disappear, they often merely break down into invisible microplastics and nanoplastics.

Plastic, which is composed of polymers and various additives, undergoes degradation due to environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation, temperature changes, oxygen, water, and mechanical stress. These processes break down polymer chains, causing objects to fragment into smaller and smaller pieces. Plichta emphasized that the inability to see these particles with the naked eye does not mean the material has decomposed, but rather that it has transitioned into much smaller, persistent forms.