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Enviros target microplastics in agrochemicals
Summary
This short news article reports on a call by the Center for International Environmental Law to ban microplastics intentionally added to controlled-release fertilizers and pesticides. Polymer coatings used in agrochemical formulations shed plastic particles into soil over time. It is a news or advocacy article rather than a scientific research paper.
The production and use of microplastics intentionally added to controlled-release fertilizers and pesticides should be prohibited, a report from the advocacy group Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) concludes. Agrochemical producers use microplastics to encapsulate and slow the release of nutrients and active ingredients in their formulations. For controlled-release fertilizers, manufacturers often use a polymer material such as polyolefin or polyvinylidene chloride as a coating, according to the report. Similarly, pesticide makers often use hollow, micrometer-size spheres made from polyureas or other polymers to encapsulate active ingredients. Data on the amount of microplastics used by agrochemical producers are scarce, and global estimates vary widely. But the use of polymer-coated fertilizers and pesticides is rising. Agrochemical companies are now marketing the controlled-release properties of their products as “sustainable, climate-friendly agriculture,” the report finds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated last year that about 100,000 metric tons of plastic are