Plastic is believed to constitute 90 per cent of all rubbish floating in the oceans. The UN Environment Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic,
Dr Eriksen said the slowly rotating mass of rubbish-laden water poses a risk to human health, too. Hundreds of millions of tiny plastic pellets, or nurdles – the raw materials for the plastic industry – are lost or spilled every year, working their way into the sea. These pollutants act as chemical sponges attracting man-made chemicals such as hydrocarbons and the pesticide DDT. They then enter the food chain. "What goes into the ocean goes into these animals and onto your dinner plate. It's that simple," said Dr Eriksen.
Po mojem mnenju gre bolj za to, da plastika predstavlja nevarnost morskim organizmom. Z dvigom vode najbrž res nima nič, saj plava na vodi, pa še površina oceanov (in volumen) sta tako velika, da si je težko predstavljati, da bi imela ta relativno majhna količina (v primerjavi z maso svetovnega oceana) kakšen velik vpliv na dvig vode.