some families are still hoping for good news or this are lining out to bury their loved ones. what good, no. one needs to be of this is so devastating that i cannot even speak of it, but then there were a lot of children more lot nibbling. this is worse than the corona virus pandemic go. or in my time i am still in shock. i said you're up to date several world news at the top of the good thing with the country that will host the world caught between transformation and exploitation between education and tradition, between cosmopolitan flare and captivating wilderness. the portrait of

a desert state full of contradictions. guitar starts november 11th on d, w. what's the link between old school music records and state of the art research on micro plastics? plugins? enough, most old records are made from polyvinyl chloride, which in slaying people called vinyl off. once when, when i lower the stylus on to the record in gwinnett county, there's evidently friction there. one of which creates tiny particles is available to be included and those tiny particles can turn into a big problem. we can combine them. our resident deejay is christian, the force, his daytime job professor of ecology called the airline. if i did a lot of deejaying while i was at college and beforehand starting with vinyl then cds, and finally digital, i spent 20 years deejaying in munich, club audit, and cooper mentioned today. but now he's playing

a different to hoping to rid the world of micro plastics. ah, by right. famous for its screenshot wagner, opera house and annual festival. but while the town looks and accurately clean on the surface, there is a less visible problem lurking on the streets that christine la foster has his sights on wherever he and his colleague go. they find the immediate culprit plastic waste up here from the other one day back when i started looking at the issue of plastic pollution, i decided to count the number of plastic fragments between my home and the supermarket. it does me, but if you don't have to offend over those 2 or 300 meters, i spotted 52 fragments of plastic with the naked eye while walking. haven't been able to put that as a re. and if i bent down like this, i would have found

a lot more that there's simply everywhere evicted. i'll get the other one. you can see how abrasion is creating more and more micro plastic bowl. the white bits science did i see by a mass of tiny particles decomposing into micro plastic speaker. so does this pose a danger to us? moment on given different. all right, now we believe it's the small fragments that present the greatest danger for dinner with the smaller particles in there's a bigger risk, but that instead of just staying in the digestive tract and being exaggerated, they could pass into body tissue on an a mouth on and that could lead to inflammatory reactions him once, as blah crosby's visited with soon and few in front of visible plastic waste is unsightly, but relatively easy to dispose of once it reaches the microscopic scale, however, it contaminates rivers, soil, and the air all vital for our survival,

and this is precisely the issue. the 2 men are investigating what effect do micro plastics have on the environment and on us it's a problem affecting the entire planet. micro plastics have now even been found in snow on the small bard archipelago in the arctic circle. a disturbing discovery. cancer which treatment plans at least filter out micro plastics from our water. professor christina far from the university of by white, is on a field trip. behind the municipal sewage works where the filtered waste water is discharged into the local river. his team has devised their own manta drawl, a net for picking up the plastic particles. good, okay. time to launch manta, with little data available until recently, it's a pioneering field of research that requires innovation on the part of the

scientists ramos. if you are like other research groups, new to the issue, we thought it would be pretty straightforward. it's just a matter of going out, taking samples and performing an experiment is a party, but these particles behave differently when they're a completely new class of substance and incredibly complex. people talk about micro plastic in the environment from black, but it comes in a range of different shapes and sizes, different compositions and different basic plastics. it's a really complex subject for sysmic won't crunched, offering them with holics in as ovens and complexes a challenge for the young research assistant. but also for a renowned professor who's not shy of pitching in on the physical side of research to these the particulars and globe if these particles are incredibly hard to capture. because when you need different analytical methods

and different forms of experiments and completely different sampling scenarios, it's a lot more difficult to detect them and to do risk assessments. it's really exciting, over on the 1st step in each survey is a distinctly low tech affair, collecting and rinsing samples by hand. but actually finding the minute particles can be easier said than done for it all in love. and there you go there papa. think of lyrica with a few particles you can see with your own eyes that they're plastic. plastic. honda thought on the vehicle and looked at that little blue on here and we'll see what all the white stuff is in the lab boardroom. sure, but there's quite a lot in there to feed them. ah, the germans tend to think of their country as a clean one. but take a closer look and you'll find this. and that's just one part of the problem. the

researchers believe that micro plastics enter rivers via an untold array of roots. they want to know what impact they have once they get there. to assist their investigation of conditions on the bottom of the river bed, they brought along a special pump. another instrument, they developed themselves now carefully place it on top. the palm presses the water from down below through special aluminum filters. their preparations are a fraction of a millimeter wide, enabling the researchers to fish out particles that are invisible to the human eye . they're hoping to gain new insights, almost like on a mission to mars. back in the university lab, it's a question of rinse and repeat. the aim is to reduce the filtrate so that it only

contains the microscopically small plastic articles. ah, the sample is now put under the microscope. doctoral student, julia mila, uses the pat to distribute the substance in small portions onto specimen slides. now that they're visible, she can read out the plastic particles by and one at a time, an extremely laborious task. but it's the only option she has for a precise examination of the isolated fibers in does the plan days. what you can tell from the peaks that it's polyethylene. global research into micro plastics is still

a fairly new field. but one where the bio at university team is leading the way it boasts scientists from all manner of disciplines. among them is sema, are galvan, a professor of chemistry. hello there, sima. hi christian, how are you? good. how are you? oh, are gov all is interested in the global perspective. she's familiar with the problem of plastic waste from her native india, which has given her an added incentive wisconsin. it's not solely about pure research. so we also want to develop new solution solutions on that. and to begin sema archival has been looking at where the plastic pollution chain begins and hopes to find alternative materials to prevent micro plastics being created in the 1st place. she regularly consults, colleagues from various scientific disciplines. this is very interesting to work with other people because sometimes the same materials, same problem you, you see from different angles. and it really makes then,

boss. but there's no spas or fun for the professor when it comes to the root of this growing global issue, automatically our garbage and what we do with that a unit. yes. could a t? yes, plastic mule is a of a long problem in the problem is when the dorm manage of, of la steve vase properly, it is like cleaning my own yard and throwing this blas degrees into neighbor. yeah . so i don't see my problem myself, but the problem is still via and this was happening. so it's a very long problem because the plastic beast was not disposed properly, but it was torn some via or same to some other country and they were disposing not to properly. so this is the problem to me. is it possible to combat plastic waste with chemical formulas? sima arg lavolle says yes. they enable the development of new substances with superior properties,

a challenge she sees for all her fellow chemists. it is the chemistry that makes plastics and that's why does chemistry should solve dogs are in the chemistry console with dogs. so this b, e d, for example, be used for water. what does a large am hours and this is a big problem. it is, if it goes by chance, it leaks in that environment, it stays an environment for a long time. so chemistry can provide a, a nice meteor that works like b, e, d. but by chance, if it leaks in that environment, it does not state you know, that might have environment for a long time. but how dangerous or micro plastics for the environment? and for us, professor la portia search for answers also features. algy and daphne are commonly known as water fleece garza mayor. there are the algae p r, which the daphne fleet, audrey. good afternoon, hidden from london own. you can see the haze of algae warmth. and the 1st daphne it

to notice it are the lucky ones because they're able to swim into this big cloud of food and get their fill. but why water flees for something long with fossil. i've been working with water police for quite some time, but it will be fun there. one of the model organisms and ecology and has been, especially in aquatic ecology run through because they're the link between uni cellular algae and higher trophic levels often decides to submit to glimpse so lot of fish like beating on water fleece once of making them a stock component of the oceans, nutritional network, then august, the 2nd is 5. the 2nd factor behind using water pleased balcony, is that these are all females meters for thought, daphne out, reproduce parthenon, genetically or a sexually dish dentist. this provides us with genetically identical individuals for experiments by the for, which means you can rule out genetic variability, austin's, it's a fantastic model organism, because you can work with naturally produced clones, get the clue how to make them. and all that become that work involves

a series of constantly repeated experiments using a variety of instruments. the researchers are still at a very early stage of their mission, but they're convinced that they'll be able to find answers and solutions. and also that we all have to change our habits. vicki in light of what the future of our treatment of the environmental needs to be a lot more sustainable. and that is that it's up to us and the next generation to ensure that we're able to maintain our modern lifestyle. of course, we also want to have comfortable lives, but we need to take a more sustainable and mindful approach to all the resources available. all sorts of longer. the professor and diving enthusiast asks whether at some point in the near future, what we see in an aquarium will seem like a dream world with nature destroyed by toxic substances created by human kind. i. i'm anyway. so sima aga shows her students how to

analyze the level of toxins contained in plastics. a vital step in assess the dangers posed by micro plastics and tried to find out as it is. for example, in micro plastic this machine can smell pollutants, especially the additives in synthetic materials. a primary focus in the work of the chemist and her team. and you could see the sample of robin b because we're wondering if you talk about boxes of the of micro plastic. so it's not only the plastic lativia. so the pristine plastic mathias generally they are not toxic because the as long molecules. so it's the adjective which we put in plastic for in using is thomas d. b u v. stability given the color it or blast decides or do it? they might be don't say. mm mm. professor chris jennifer sch and his team are on the road to the next hotspot. after taking those water samples,

they now head out to a patch of farm land, again on the lookout for micro plastics. taking samples here is far more straightforward than time consuming lab tests and working outdoors makes for a refreshing change of environment. you, william mila, is doing her doctoral thesis on micro plastics in soil. what impact do micro plastics have on soil? where did they come from? and where do they end up? do they eventually just disintegrate? and are they really dangerous for us? my name is natalia mercer, we can't even say how much plastic is actually out there, which is why we're doing this research and good luck for sure. and we're not the only consumers here or not, allison miss,

nor via look at all the soil organisms living in our fields that are mostly beneficial. hayden, leave, we need to know how much of this plastic is in the soil and what damage it does to those tiny creatures, shouted this on the claim to you, him him border. the field samples are sent straight to the lab at by lloyd university. you are young villa then transfers them to a sieve system in order to sort out the larger particles. the procedure that's not as simple as it might sound. the steps are placed in a vibrator device which shakes up the contents over a period of several hours in order to ensure a strict separation of the composite elements. it's only the tiniest particles that the researcher is interested in. over in the adjacent lab sema are gov all and her fellow chemists are developing a new biodegradable synthetic material. assuming they're successful. the aim as for it to one day be tested in a composting facility by the organic because

a lot of the facilities in this region only compassed for 2 or 3 months. so it should be possible to completely decompose a biodegradable polymer in precisely that time frame. once finish up, the bulk of the team is constantly working on new methodologies. in the process of discovering new insights, they want the data they collect with their cutting edge instruments to help them devise a kind of plastic that does not break down into minuscule pieces and cause harm to living organisms. nice, yes. first of all, we can say of the t of his violin geneva thinking he can also come in how much it has bio degraded in how much time. and this is very important to come in. so when the new material comes to the market, this day is very important in after water and soil. now it's time to look at the air. for this, the team deployed a special,

measuring mast. it was likewise built by hand at the university's dedicated workshop to later to the precise requirements of the scientists. mm. we all know about the exhaust fumes and particulate matter in the air that we breathe. but what about those invisible micro plastics? could they pose a similar danger? mm. in order to imitate human air intake, the mast has a horizontal capture basket attached at head height. ecologist and plastic in air specialist jakob hasta also frequently wonders whether he's constantly breathing in the tiny particles, since flights and order. maybe it's a subconscious thing, maybe, but it does make you more aware of the things around you, which is a bit scary before evelyn with me.

the mast is left in place for a number of hours. as the air streams through the baskets, nets, the team suspects it will lead behind some of those microscopically small plastic particles. the smaller the particles are, the bigger the subsequent challenge in the lab. the various scientists have already spent several years refining and improving their methods and sometimes discarding them. but their combined efforts have proved productive. our knowledge of micro plastics has improved significantly compared to just a decade ago. thanks also to the researchers in by white and their extensive deployment of new technology, yuk of hasta uses a scanning electron microscope to render the invisible plastic visible. the machine helps to both count the particles and determine their constituent elements. the

collaborative research effort brings together a range of institutes at different locations all working on the same subject. this is research for the future that is also relevant today. the results are now available from the samples taken out in the field and from waste water. it can take days if not weeks to process the material for the researchers to finally access the actual micro plastic content and produce a detailed analysis of the limited wizard. sorry, the summary shows pretty clearly that we have both larger fragments, but above all smaller ones that are sort of meant it all before and mark a few decline. it was like, what was the average size in the sample around 50 microns? this is, i'm div that's 50000th of a millimeter, but it's the particles content not size that the researchers are interested in, that is polyethylene b, p e. but as you can see here very nicely in the reverse image, when does after water than the chemical characterization has clearly identified it

as p. b and polyethylene or p e has an extremely long life, making it a particularly ominous adversary for the researchers. and is a significant source of micro plastic lane, but there are signs of progress elsewhere. these candies from china are wrapped in a piece of rice paper that is itself edible. this was due to beckett's and one can eat on. and the idea will never be that we start throwing these packaging outside in the environment. this will be a very bad message, never be, or not galloping anything so that everybody starts throwing in the environment, nor via developing something that can be g cycle that can be managed in the least management procedure like the normal plastic. but if by chance intentionally or unintentionally it gets lead in the environment, it does not, but this like the upon the only fins of the environment. so how do our bodies react

when we take in micro plastics? here at the researchers are discussing images of animal cells. today we so that our digestive tracks contain micro plastics. but what happens then? some of these images show how the plastics are absorbed by the cells. in this case, in a mouse with hum good site, but we've shown that the cells absorb the particles and that the intake is higher if there was already micro plastic in the environment or the fact. but the big question is whether there's this effect with humans to give l mm device which we also know, even if not the reasons why that the so called gut micro biome changes, depending on the types of plastic in the colon. one's understanding the gut micro biome is really important for taking a particular nutrients than yourself,

but it's also essential for our immune system. of course, when advised, we do now know that the plastic effects the composition of our colin's micro organisms for whatever reason. and this kind of food and that can have a negative impact on them because it means a disturbance of the natural gut microbiology. obviously this the teen from by lloyd hopes to get answers at the university of along and a leading center of medical research. here to there are specialists working in the micro plastics collaborative project. there likewise looking into what effect plastic particles have in human body cells. what might the long term consequences be for our health? and how high is the risk of them causing cancer? the researchers from by high to present their images of the mouth cells to professor of anatomy, please posen and ask whether these findings can be applied to humans.

her mom was he felt good for you have to look at the potential influence on tumor development more fuel and when it promotes chronic diseases. degenerative change in sanchez romantic conditions. so you're good want degenerative diseases affecting saying the cartilage and the musculoskeletal system for most with this florence is the views of office and some companies are also on board the general research mission. the how is a major international supplier of polymer based products and is also based in elin chemist sema are. gov all is eager to join forces with industry in order to identify and develop solutions. solutions that from stage one of the manufacturing chain mean looking at how to prevent micro plastics actually being created. lay house,

head of sustainability and lee, as yenna explains the composition of a new garden hose. go to the pleasant surprise of sima aga, while he confirms that yes, the material can be recycled. but there's a lot of work to be done. tire. where is a major source of micro plastic emissions. a problem at lee. how is also tackling it's working on a filter that could be installed in rhode drainage systems in order to collect the particles resulting from that abrasion? i hear industry and researchers have the common goal of ensuring that our environment is a healthy one. and this what i see from my colleagues, my contact all over the load is that everybody has the same opinion. the have to do something bit of a resources. so that of a future generations, they have sufficient. i think this is one of the definitions of sustainability also that we should not least of our resources, we should, we should enjoy business without sacrificing the future. christina fox is back on

the road to look at another exciting new development. he's come to who, but also nearby white. to meet inventor sebastian point, got his new construction would be deployed where the professor sees the most obvious need a sewage treatment plant. the machine is specifically designed to filter out micro plastics from the waste water as a if it's over in the local mayor has also come along and he would ultimately buy the pilot facilitator. but 1st is a bastion point that gives the low down on his ingenious, simple sounding invention the, the comically via idea occurred to me in the middle of the night autism. i woke up at 3 am off to having read an article by christine le force force please. i thought, hell, why not give it a try and help me. so the next day i made a sketch of how it might work and the way we built it is practically identical to that sketch cited up. his idea was for

a special kind of hydro cyclone machine during the cleaning process. it subjects the water to massive centrifugal forces that push the plastic particles to the inside where they can be separated off. initial testing at the treatment plant has produced promising results with the majority of the micro plastics being removed from the waste water growth exclaim stock if we have to, as we see this particular reason or the mayor of orton by season as an investment in the future of his community one and if with us of, of it what this is, i think also fort hood in the field. because plastic is needs to spot. a micro, plastics are not visible about people are aware of them. but if they didn't, if it has been totally positive feedback in newspaper reports about the pilot facility, or you saw this ms. widely's, it's a great thing that's good for the environment, vanessa. you believe this cost? it only adds a couple of euro's more a year to the waste water bill. cindy, and that's something everyone can afford. good c, e, the goal con. so this treatment plant at least should soon have no more micro

plastics. after cleaning its waste water for this not to the super bye love it because our objective was always about finding solutions, not just highlighting all the bad things on an even thought. and it's the same principle with our special research project. he's one of them from the for instead of focusing on pure research, we also look for answers on speaking. so. but when it comes to answers, what's the personal feeling of the new filters, inventor? what does realizing a vision feel like? this is a furnace motherhood that it can feel like tilting at windmills in or that you're a pioneer because why we're not going to get the plastic problem under control overnight. plastic in our environment is going to remain an issue for centuries or millennia. the school yahoo that the a 1000 to be shifted. what matters now is finding a way of minimizing the sources of contamination and touchscreen, so many and that's a task that enjoys total commitment from the researchers at by white university.

they faced a long road ahead with no end of further experiments in their quest for solutions. teach. and always in the mix. the d. j. turn professor on a mission to make the world a groove your place by making micro plastics. history. ah, ah, ah. a william how to think on it. gonzalez, will i and was how you know, if i had known that the boat would be bad, small, i never would have gone on the trail. i would not to put myself and my parents in that danger will god it's a theme of the for that he was legal, would love one centreville hospital on the liberty to give them i had serious

problems on a personal level and i was unable to live there, but my to go to that you want to know their story info, migrant clarified and reliable information for my grants. come have a v is counting the highlights you every week in your in box subscribe. now with this week on world stories, latinos could swing the u. s. midterm election results in iranian women is filling her dream in germany. we.