We've all heard the term "microplastics" ad nauseam and they're pretty much what they sound like. Plastic debris that has been weathered down into tiny fragments, usually 5 millimeters long or less.

「塑膠微粒」這個詞我們已經聽過非常多次，基本上就是字面上的意思：在自然侵蝕下變成小碎片的塑膠殘骸，通常長度 5 毫米或更小。

When we talk about it, we mostly focus on how this trash affects our ocean life.

談到塑膠微粒，我們通常聚焦在垃圾如何影響海洋生態。

We regularly find plastic inside the the bellies of birds and whales.

我們經常在鳥類和鯨魚的肚子裡發現塑膠。

And for our shellfish fans, a study has shown that European consumers can ingest up to eleven thousand plastic particles a year from eating shellfish.

貝類愛好者注意了，一項研究也指出，歐洲消費者每年會透過吃貝類吃進一萬一千個塑膠分子。

So, the answer is let's just avoid all seafood forever, right?

所以解決辦法是從此以後不吃任何海鮮？

Well, it's not going to be that easy.

事情沒那麼單純。

In fact, microplastics are closer to your kitchen table than you think.

事實上，塑膠微粒比你想的還要更貼近你的廚房。

Ever heard of a little thing called I dunno, SALT.

聽過這個小東西嗎？鹽巴。

YEAH.

沒錯。

SALT.

就是鹽巴。

Sea salt to be exact.

確切說來是海鹽。

Those 0.3 millimeter salt grains have microscopic plastic particles in them.

這些 0.3 毫米大小的鹽粒中含有顯微鏡底下才看得到的塑膠分子。

A recent study from Nature found microplastics inside the grains of 16 different salt brands taken from 8 different countries, which held plastic fibers and beads as small as 160 microns.

近期來自《自然》期刊的一項研究也發現，取自 8 個國家 16 種不同品牌的鹽中都有塑膠微粒，小及 160 微米的塑料纖維和微珠。

The earth is literally taking our trash with a grain of salt.

地球真的是把我們的垃圾都「吃」進鹽裡了。

And by the way the study conveniently didn't list the brands, so don't even look for it. I already tried.

(順帶一提，研究沒有列出這些鹽的品牌，所以不用查了。我已經試了。)

The types of plastics inside these salty crystals are important, too.

辨認這些鹽晶體裡頭含有的塑料也是很重要的。

The polymer particles found were mostly polypropylene and polyethylene which are two types of durable plastics that are used in things like grocery bags, plastic bottle caps, prescription bottles, lunch boxes and more.

這些聚合物分子多半是聚丙烯 (PP) 和聚乙烯 (PE)兩種耐用塑膠，常用於塑膠袋、塑膠瓶蓋、藥罐、食物餐盒等等。

And this isn't the first time we've tested for microplastics in our salt.

而且這可不是我們第一次檢測鹽巴裡的塑膠微粒。

Even earlier in 2017, researchers tested twenty-one different types of Spanish table salts.

甚至早在 2017 年，研究人員就檢測過西班牙 21 種不同的食鹽。

And ALL twenty one of them were found to have polymer particles of polyethylene-terephthalate, which is used to make plastic bottles.

發現全部 21 種都含有聚合物分子 PET，常用於製作塑膠瓶。

So, the answer is let's just avoid all shellfish AND salt forever, right?

所以，解決辦法就是從此以後不吃任何貝類和鹽巴，是嗎？

Well, avoiding them might not be the best strategy since microplastics are just everywhere.

避開它們或許不是最好的策略，因為塑膠微粒早已散佈各處。

We're finding them in our oceans, fertilizer, food chains, and even the air we breathe.

我們在海洋、肥料、食物鏈，甚至是我們呼吸進的空氣中，都能發現它的蹤跡。

But we shouldn't really be surprised.

但我們應該也是不用那麼驚訝。

This polymer, polyethylene-terephthalate, you know the one that's used for plastic bottles, takes up to 400 years to naturally decompose.

這個聚合物 —— PET，你知道的用來做塑膠瓶的，要耗上 400 年才能自然分解。

Plastic hasn't even been around that long yet.

塑膠問世以來甚至都還沒過那麼久。

It was invented in 1907, but since the 1950's, plastic production has ramped up and now we make over 300 million metric tons globally.

塑料發明於 1907 年，但自 50 年代開始塑膠產品暴增，現在全球產量超過 3 億公噸。

And up to 12.7 million tons of plastic waste enters our oceans every year.

每年有近 1270 萬噸的塑膠廢料排進海洋。

It's barely been over a century and we already have plastic in our salt, guys.

塑膠問世以來才不過一個世紀，鹽巴裡就已經有了！

But that's the thing, isn't it?

但事情都已經發生了，對吧？

Microplastics haven't been around long enough for us to really understand their long-term harmful effects in the human body.

塑膠微粒的存在還不夠長久，我們尚未理解它們對人體的長期傷害。

What we do speculate from past research is that the accumulation of microplastics can cause particle, chemical, and microbial hazards.

但透過以往的研究我們推測，塑膠微粒的累積可以導致粒子、化學和微生物危害。

Particle toxicity may occur if a critical mass of pieces are localized and cause an immune response from your body, which your body can't do much about anyway.

若是有一大塊集中在你的體內並引起免疫反應的話，粒子中毒就有可能發生 (免疫也起不了什麼作用)。

Chemical toxicity could occur since the particles may excrete deadly pollutants they've picked up from the environment.

一旦粒子釋出它們從環境吸收的致命污染物，化學中毒就會發生。

Plus, what plastic is made out of isn't too good for you.

再說，塑料本身的成分本就對人體不太好。

But when it comes to the salt, we ultimately haven't found a dosage of microplastics that is harmful to us... yet.

但說到鹽巴，我們最後還是不清楚多少塑膠微粒劑量會對人體有害 …… 應該說是尚未清楚。

The production of plastic is still on the rise and it's expected to triple by 2050.

塑膠製品產量仍舊在提升，預計到 2050 年將達到三倍之多。

So our exposure to it will likely increase, and we'll probably have to change the way we think about our plastic production and consumption.

所以我們大概會接觸到更多塑膠微粒，我們應該來重新思考塑膠產品的製造與使用。

If we've already done this much damage, how much are we going to see in another 30 years?

既然我們現在都已經造成如此大的災害，未來 30 年又會看到何種光景？

I know I don't want a dash of plastic to go with my dash of salt.

我個人是不希望我的鹽巴裡有塑膠。

So if you want some simple ways to reduce your plastic consumption, you can invest in reusable utensils.

若是希望透過一些簡單的辦法減少使用塑膠，你可以改用環保餐具。

Don't wrap your compostable food in plastic bags, give up on gum, reuse containers, buy reusable water bottles, or any of the hundreds of other ways you could prevent plastic pollution.

不要用塑膠袋裝食物、戒掉口香糖、重複使用容器、購買環保水瓶，或是其他上百種可以避免塑料污染的方法。

It's not too late to change our ways, and if you still have doubts about all this then, go ahead and reach for that salt shaker.

現在開始改變還不遲，如果你還是對這一切半信半疑 …… 儘管伸手拿鹽罐吧。

I'm sure you'll be fine.

我想你會沒事的啦。

If you think you're swimming in microplastics now, you've got nothing on Ben Lecomte, the swimmer attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean, RIGHT NOW.

如果你認為你已經身處塑料微粒海了，那你該看看 Ben Lecomte，這位游泳運動員正嘗試游過太平洋，就是現在！

He's out there as we speak, along with a team of researchers that will be the first to collect data by hand from one end of the ocean to the other.

我們說話的同時他就在海上，身旁跟隨一隊研究人員，第一手採集大海資料。

And Seeker has all the latest updates and info.

本頻道擁有相關的最新消息和資訊。

To learn about more about his journey check out this video here.

想更了解他的旅程，看看這部影片。

I'm Maren, thanks for watching.

我是 Maren，感謝你的收看。