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March 3, 2004
Industries' Foul Little Secret
Industries' Foul Little Secret: Pre-Production Plastics Found on Beaches Come Directly from Industrial Sources
Taylor Simpkins, 13, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2003
Project background: Taylor became concerned about the amount of plastic debris washing up on California's beaches. She met a researcher from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation who is studying the effects of plastics in oceans. He suggested that Taylor monitor pre-production plastics (PPPs)—small, 3-millimeter-wide spherical pellets used to produce molded plastic—before and after rainstorms. These plastics are especially harmful to albatross and sea turtles that mistake the small round objects, especially the red ones, for krill. The toxins in the plastics can be deadly, upsetting the ecosystem.
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| V. Miller |
Tactics and results: Taylor collected PPP samples 19 times over 10 months from the east and west sides of the Santa Ana River Jetty. She sifted the PPPs from other debris and sand and counted them while also logging weather conditions.
Taylor's results showed that there are significantly more PPPs on the beaches after rainstorms than during the dry season when the flow from the Santa Ana River into the ocean is not as great. She concluded that the PPPs are coming from industrial runoff that flows into the Santa Ana River and eventually the Pacific Ocean. She hopes to encourage industry officials to recycle the plastics and eliminate the problem.
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