[Announcement by the Italian Research Council-CNR]
Following the conclusion of the Project LIFE13 ENV/IT/001069 – Mermaids: “Mitigation of microplastics impact caused by textile washing processes”, the Organizing and Scientific Committees are pleased to invite the scientific community and stakeholders to the “International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea” (μ MED) hosted in Capri (NA), Italy, on September 26-29th 2017.
The conference will focus on one of the most actual and dangerous source of marine pollution. In fact, even though plastic pollution is a well-known worldwide problem, the discovery of the presence of microplastics or even nanoplastics in seas and oceans represents an unexpected and very alarming turn in this environmental challenge.
Microplastics are defined as plastic fragments typically smaller than 5 mm, able to pass through waste-water treatment plants, accumulating on shorelines and eventually reaching marine ecosystems. There, such fragments remain unaltered, representing a serious risk not only for marine flora and fauna, but also for human health.
Regarding the impact of these pollutants, recent studies have proved that the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most worrisome region of the world, showing a microplastic concentration even higher than that of the North Pacific area (Plastic soup vortex).
Against this background, μMED conference aims to share current knowledge, identify issues and propose solutions and actions to face and mitigate this environmental threat.
For more information, please visit www.microplasticpollution.org
