This is planned by a professor at UCT, Cape Town. The insanity of releasing polystyrene blocks into Table and False Bays over several weeks, to estimate the proportion that washes ashore, is environmentally irresponsible, poses a danger to sealife, it breaks up, and takes years to decompose. The fact that we have literal islands of plastic in seas and oceans makes it clear that while some pollution will wash back to shore, much doesn't. Environmental health concerns start with the elements used to make Styrofoam. Styrene, for example, is the one of the main ingredients used to make polystyrene. Hearing loss has been observed in animals exposed to very high concentrations of styrene. Changes in the lining of the nose and damage to the liver has been observed in animals exposed to high concentrations of styrene, but animals may be more sensitive than humans to these effects.
If this should continue, there are more sensible material options to use. How much the sea purges litter to shore does not help the fact that we simply must stop littering, both far out at sea and at the shore.
