'Humble' worm saliva can break down tough plastic- PublishedOne of the worst forms of plastic pollution may have met its match in the saliva of a humble worm.In their paper they show that this key step of getting oxygen into the polymer can be achieved within an hour of the plastic being exposed to the saliva of the larvae."What we think is that the enzymes are capable of an accelerated version of the weathering of polyethylene," said Dr Clemente Arias, a co-author from the Spanish National Research Council."What we found was that the enzymes alone can oxidise plastic, which is the process that takes such a long time in the environment," he told BBC News.There are still many questions to be answered, say the researchers, including whether the saliva is working on the polymer or on the additives that are used to strengthen this type of plastic."