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LEGO bricks may last 1,300 years in the ocean

By T.K. Randall
March 17, 2020 · Comment icon 19 comments

It looks like today's LEGO bricks will be around for centuries. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Alan Chia
The world's most popular toy brick has turned out to be more resilient than anyone had thought possible.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Plymouth, England analyzed a selection of 50 LEGO bricks retrieved from the country's southern beaches during recent plastic cleanup efforts.

Each of the pieces was cleaned, weighed and measured to see how it had degraded over time.

By comparing the bricks to those produced during the 1970s and 1980s, it was determined that LEGO may in fact be capable of surviving in the ocean for between 100 and 1,300 years.
"LEGO is one of the most popular children's toys in history and part of its appeal has always been its durability," said study lead author Dr Andrew Turner.

"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."

Source: Slashgear | Comments (19)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #10 Posted by freetoroam 5 years ago
Make houses out of lego, between 100 and 1,300 years is not bad. 
Comment icon #11 Posted by fred_mc 5 years ago
Pretty cool that LEGO lasts that long. Maybe some future archaeologists will dig up LEGO pieces in 1000 years, and find something out about our time.
Comment icon #12 Posted by Jon the frog 5 years ago
https://www.geek.com/news/house-of-legos-in-england-under-construction-886121/ And you can do big change or repair without trowing away nothing, just rebuild it. I thing it would burn tho...
Comment icon #13 Posted by toast 5 years ago
I still remember the smell of my wooden LEGO box, it was a big one with a lot of little compartments. And my favourite bricks were the transparent corner bricks 2x2.
Comment icon #14 Posted by RoofGardener 5 years ago
Oh WOW.. you had the transparent corner bricks ?  we could never afford THOSE  
Comment icon #15 Posted by toast 5 years ago
 
Comment icon #16 Posted by RabidMongoose 5 years ago
They are also one of the most painful things to be stood on.
Comment icon #17 Posted by Seti42 5 years ago
All the more reason to keep Lego's in circulation. Keep playing with them/collecting them, pass them on to the younger generation, donate them to hospitals, libraries, homeless shelters, day care centers, schools, etc. Don't let them enter landfills...Or the ocean. IMO, Lego's are the best toy ever. Unlike most toys, Lego's are educational, timeless, and fun in great measure. I still buy one set a year, and make sure to resell or give away ones I don't want anymore.
Comment icon #18 Posted by DanL 5 years ago
This sounds like we need to make ships out of Lego blocks instead of steel!
Comment icon #19 Posted by 'Walt' E. Kurtz 5 years ago
Nae i like all Scandinavian countries cause we're all Scandinavian :-) the finns are not but i still regard them as Scandinavian. 


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