A warning has been issued about an item commonly found at children’s birthday parties that could be killing the planet. Researchers say the product can harm sea life and interfere with the growth of coral, molluscs and sea urchins.
While glitter can add sparkle to decorations and costumes at parties, it could have dire consequences for our oceans. If it flows down drains, into rivers and then out to sea, it can alter the chemistry of the water and cause pollution.
Glitter, which is made of plastic and aluminium, can harm the growth of marine life. Researchers from Trinity College Dublin found that when glitter enters water, calcium crystals form upon it quickly which harms species in the sea.
The study’s authors, Juan Diego Rodriguez Blanco and Kristina Petra Zubovic, wrote on The Conversation: “Marine creatures use very precise conditions to make their shells the right shape and strength. When something like glitter comes along and changes the rules … it could mess with those natural processes.
“It’s like baking a cake and suddenly having the oven heat up to 1,000C: you might still get a cake, but it will not be the one you intended to cook … We could be looking at a serious threat to ocean life.”
According to the researchers, the crystals cause the glitter to crack and break apart. These tiny microplastics are then eaten by marine life, such as fish, turtles, oysters and plankton. As well as harming the sea life, these plastics can also make their way into humans who eat them.
Rodriguez Blanco and Zubovic said: “What seems small and shiny to us could be a big, silent disruptor for the marine world. And once it is out there, it is not going away.”
The European Union banned non-biodegrabale plastic glitter in October 2023. This included glitter used in arts, crafts and toys in a bid to reduce microplastic pollution.
Although glitter has not been banned in the UK, some retailers such as Morrisons, Waitrose and John Lewis have stopped selling the product. They have also stopped the sale of glittery products such as birthday cards.