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EPA Investigates Plastic Pollution on Hawaiian Beaches

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Hawaiian beach plastic debris.
Plastic litter dots the surf line on a beach on the island of Hawaii. (Image credit: Stephanie Pappas for LiveScience)

The Hawaiian Islands are famous for their iconic, pristine-looking beaches. But even in paradise, pollution can be found. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it will study remote Tern island, part of a coral atoll 550 miles (890 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu, to see if the area qualifies to be listed as a Superfund site, a federal designation for areas with hazardous waste in need of clean up, according to news reports. 

The agency will focus on that site because it contains a landfill that may be leaking contaminants. The study will also examine another 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) of Hawaiian beaches, as well as part of the Pacific Garbage Patch — a floating collection of plastic and other debris — to see if the area qualifies for Superfund status, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Douglas Main
Douglas Main
Douglas Main loves the weird and wonderful world of science, digging into amazing Planet Earth discoveries and wacky animal findings (from marsupials mating themselves to death to zombie worms to tear-drinking butterflies) for Live Science. Follow Doug on Google+.