My exhibition, Seascape of the 21st Century, which explores the impacts of plastics on marine biodiversity, due to open at Gallery5 in Richmond, VA on 1 May 2020, has been indefinitely postponed. You can still see the paintings and their descriptions in Gallery 1. Tonight from 10-11 pm EDT, PBS is airing FRONTLINE: Plastic Wars, which examines the plastic industry, recycling, and the future of plastics.
TOXIC FAUX FOOD
Oil on canvas (30 x 40 in.) ©Eugene G. Maurakis, Ph.D., 2019
Algae, as well as potential carcinogens (PCBs, DDT, and other pesticides) adhere to microplastics floating in the oceans. Engraulis mordax (California anchovy) and other fishes and organisms smell and eat the algal-covered microplastics coated with toxic-chemicals, which move up the food chain to humans. We do not yet know, however, the full effects of these ingested chemical laden microplastics on human health as we have just begun to study this human health risk.