<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/11/glitter-has-lost-its-shine-but-scientists-may-have-found-a-safer-substitute>
"Even before Taylor Swift donned “glitter freckles”, the sparkly stuff was
prolific – sold in tiny vials at craft shops and sprinkled on to a variety of
products from clothing to Christmas decorations, cards and makeup.
Glitter ends up everywhere: in the environment as well as the carpet.
While some scientists have called for an outright ban, new Australian-led
research has found a shimmery cellulose substitute that could be safer for
soil.
University of Melbourne researchers tested the effects of conventional and
cellulose-based glitters at different concentrations – 10, 100 and 1,000 mg
glitter/kg of soil – on the health of tiny soil animals called springtails.
The paper, published in
Chemosphere, found that when conventional glitter
made from plastic and metal was present in soil at 1,000 mg/kg, springtails
produced 61% fewer offspring compared with a control soil sample after 28 days.
There were no toxic effects on springtail reproduction at any concentration of
the cellulose glitter."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
