A Toy Today, A Pollutant Tomorrow

Most toys for kids nowadays are made out of plastic. And since we already know the many negative effects of plastic in the environment, the animals (and even ourselves, too), we know that this already is bad news.

One of the most popular toys for kids today are Lego bricks. But these same Lego bricks could also be one of the most infamous pollutants in the near future.

New research has found those classic Lego bricks take between 100 and 1,300 years to fully disintegrate at sea, depending on variations in the plastic's composition and the marine weathering it experiences.
[...]
"It is specifically designed to be played with and handled, so it may not be especially surprising that despite potentially being in the sea for decades it isn't significantly worn down. However, the full extent of its durability was even a surprise to us."
[...]
While weathered blocks from the beach showed various degrees of weakening, yellowing, blunting, fracturing and fouling, researchers were surprised to find the toys largely intact.

(Image Credit: Turner et al., Environmental Pollution, 2020/ Science Alert)


Comments (0)

the npr story talked about how people need to accept the behavior of these parents and find ways to turn it into a positive situation

i disagree

helicopter parents are patronizing and ultimately self absorbed

if you really care about your kid you will have enough foresight to recognize how such erratic behavior will negatively influence your childs life and learn to hold it back

i mean seriously people
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I am a librarian at a university library. I don't know how many times I have had to deal with parents trying to get their kids out of fines or whatnot. Come on, parents, your kids are adults! Stop hovering!
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I've been working in higher education for over 20 years. I've heard stories about inappropriate parent behavior related to the child's workforce and it is depressing. I'm not saying that parents should not provide assistance because there may be times when this is suitable. But trying to keep a college-graduate child from experiencing any discomfort while job searching or working may stifle that child's ability to complete tasks on her/his own. Being an employee is very different from being a student. While a college or school may need to communicate and interact with parents in a certain way to keep the student enrolled, an employer has no such need when it comes to employees. Developing resilience is a critical skill in these uncertain times.
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