CSIRO says 40,000 small discs accidentally discharged from research centre into the ocean are ‘non-toxic’ and ‘highly stable’
plastics spill in which 40,000 small discs were flushed into the ocean could threaten birds and marine life for years to come, an expert says, amid criticism of CSIRO’s handling of the breach.
The biomedia is about the size of an M&M, and is non-toxic and used in the filtration of water for aquaculture research, the spokesperson said. It was released accidentally into a wastewater well and discharged into the sea.“The breach was addressed immediately to prevent the further release of biomedia and CSIRO staff have been involved in clean-up efforts on the beach.”
“There’s a lot that would have already transported further in the middle of the ocean because of the winds and currents,” she said.Ziajahromi said the spill was the worst she had heard of in Queensland – and would remain a danger to animals for a long time. “As plastic breaks down, they get even more harmful because they will be available to the smaller organisms that can be mistaken for food … even zooplankton can ingest them.”