研究发现，乐高玩具可以在海洋中存活长达1300年

研究发现，乐高玩具可以在海洋中存活长达1300年

The popular plastic toy may leave a much longer-lasting impression on Earth than in the memories of children around the world. According to new research, LEGOs have the potential to last in the ocean for more than a millennium.

这个流行的塑料玩具可能会在地球上留下比世界各地儿童记忆更持久的印象。根据最新的研究，乐高有可能在海洋中存在超过一千年。

It is estimated that around 440 billion LEGO parts and pieces have been manufactured since the Danish company started production in 1949. Nearly 30 years ago, a container carrying the small plastic pieces slipped into the sea, dumping millions of LEGO pieces that continue to wash up on the beaches of South West England.

据估计，自从这家丹麦公司1949年开始生产以来，已经生产了大约4400亿个乐高零部件。大约30年前，一个装着小塑料碎片的集装箱滑入大海，倾倒了数百万块乐高积木，这些积木继续被冲到英格兰西南部的海滩上。

Madison Dapcevich

To determine how long the toys might last in the marine environment, researchers from the University of Plymouth focused their analysis of 50 weathered LEGO pieces made from a common polymer known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Each part was collected by local organizations along the beaches of South West England and identified using their “distinct studs and tubes and, in many cases, specific design numbers within the interior structure.”

为了确定这些玩具在海洋环境中可以使用多久，普利茅斯大学的研究人员集中分析了50块风化的乐高积木，这些积木是由一种叫做丙烯腈丁二烯苯乙烯(ABS)的普通聚合物制成的。每个部分都由英格兰西南部海滩的当地组织收集，并使用“独特的螺柱和管道，在许多情况下，室内结构的具体设计编号”来识别。

Although plastic in the ocean is “persistent”, the authors write in the journal Environmental Pollution that it will still go through photo-oxidative degradation and physical stress when exposed to the elements, such as discoloring and a loss of mass. Each LEGO was washed, weighed, measured, and compared with similar blocks that had not been exposed to the elements. Researchers then used an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer to confirm the age of each piece based on its chemical makeup.

尽管海洋中的塑料是“持久性的”，但作者在《环境污染》杂志上写道，当暴露于各种元素(如变色和质量损失)时，塑料仍将经历光氧化降解和物理应激。每块乐高都经过了清洗、称重、测量，并与未暴露在自然环境中的类似积木进行了比较。然后，研究人员利用x射线荧光(XRF)光谱仪根据每件文物的化学组成来确定它们的年龄。

Based on these measurements, the researchers deduce that an individual LEGO block may linger in the environment anywhere from 100 to 1,300 years. Older LEGOs had visible wear on them and exhibited lesser structural strength and weight as well as evidence of fracturing and a reduced average stud height.

根据这些测量数据，研究人员推断，一个乐高积木可能在环境中存在100到1300年。旧的乐高积木明显磨损，结构强度和重量较低，也有断裂和平均螺柱高度降低的迹象。

"The pieces we tested had smoothed and discolored, with some of the structures having fractured and fragmented, suggesting that as well as pieces remaining intact, they might also break down into microplastics. It once again emphasizes the importance of people disposing of used items properly to ensure they do not pose potential problems for the environment,” said Dr Andrew Turner, associate professor (reader) in Environmental Sciences, in a statement.

“我们测试的碎片已经变得光滑和变色，其中一些结构已经断裂和破碎，这表明，除了完好无损的碎片外，它们也可能会分解成微塑料。”它再次强调了人们妥善处理使用过的物品的重要性，以确保它们不会对环境造成潜在的问题，”环境科学副教授(读者)安德鲁·特纳博士在一份声明中说。

Researchers determined that the collected LEGOs were an average of 40 years old and exhibited varying degrees of wear. Andrew Turner/University of Plymouth

A comparison with other LEGOs suggests that the average oceanic toy was around 40 years old. In theory, the blocks are denser than coastal seawater and should sink, but it appears that this plastic is beached under certain tidal and meteorological conditions like getting stuck in kelp or washed up after strong onshore winds and large swell. Because plastic is still so new to the world, the authors add that it is difficult to determine the long-term effects of plastic in the environment and how long it may last in the world’s oceans.

与其他乐高玩具的对比表明，海洋公司的玩具平均有40年的历史。理论上，这些塑料块比沿海海水密度更大，应该会下沉，但在一定的潮汐和气象条件下，比如被海带缠住，或者在强劲的岸风和大浪之后被冲上岸，这些塑料块似乎是在某种潮汐和气象条件下搁浅的。由于塑料在世界上还是一个新事物，作者补充说，很难确定塑料对环境的长期影响以及它在海洋中可以持续多久。

"LEGO is one of the most popular children's toys in history and part of its appeal has always been its durability. 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,” said Turner.

“乐高是历史上最受欢迎的儿童玩具之一，它的吸引力之一就是它的耐用性。它是专门设计来玩和处理的，所以可能不会特别奇怪，尽管它可能在海里几十年，没有显着磨损。然而，其耐久性的全面程度甚至让我们感到惊讶，”特纳说。