The Urgent Problem we face with MicroPlastics
- Joseph Cole
- Jan 27, 2023
- 2 min read
🚨 Long Post Warning 🚨
I typically use this platform to share things more related to my work and profession, however something people close to me now I have spent hours researching and become very passionate about lately is my concern with and desire to reduce exposure to microplastics. This is a long read and shares some of the information I have found on the issue, but if you have an interest in personal health and/or the environment and are unaware of the snowballing problem of microplastics, this will be worth the read for you.
A study conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) (Ref.1) found that microplastics are present in tap water and bottled water, with an average of 83% of samples tested containing microplastics. Another study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology (Ref. 2) found that people in the United States consume an average of about 74,000 microplastics particles per year, just from tap water. These microplastics can accumulate in our bodies and potentially lead to negative health effects.
Another way that microplastics can affect human health is through the release of chemicals that are added to plastics during their manufacture. A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology (Ref. 3) found that out of 52 microplastic fragments from cosmetics, 41% released chemicals that can mimic hormones in the body and may disrupt the body's endocrine system. Furthermore, a study by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Ref. 4), showed that when ingested, microplastics can release toxic pollutants such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and Phthalates which are linked to cancer, birth defects, and developmental problems.
A study published in the journal Environmental Pollution (Ref. 5), showed that microplastics can cause damage to the liver and other organs, in fish and shellfish, when ingested in large amounts. Another study conducted by the University of Newcastle, Australia (Ref. 6) on mice, showed that ingested microplastics could end up in the gut, the lymphatic system, and even in the liver and spleen of the animals, and cause inflammation.
Bottom line: At the very least it's clear to me that these plastics and the chemicals used to synthesize them are not beneficial Healthwise to the human body, and it's overwhelmingly clear they are harmful for the environment. I'm sharing this because as many I had no idea about this until I stumbled across it, and awareness is the first step to us making positive change with this issue.
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