How Microplastics Infest Our Bodies
Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5mm and are remnants of larger plastic pieces which are broken down due to constantly being exposed to UV rays and then crumble into smaller and smaller pieces. There are 51 trillion of these particles present in the ocean which are easily swallowed by marine life and some animals even mistake plastic particles with small animals. These particles lead their way into our bodies through animals that land on our plates. Microplastics are invading much more than just our sea life. They have been discovered to exist in our lungs and blood. Microplastics are present in the food we eat, water we drink and in the household dust around us. An average human ingests about a credit card worth of plastic every week. This proves that we have lost control over plastic over a certain extent. Microplastics are present all around us and inside us and although they’re health effects on humans are still unknown it is believed that they can lead to respiratory conditions as they are tiny enough to enter the bronchioles and get trapped in different parts of our airway branches.
All the plastic we use gets broken down by friction or even melting ends up in the air, ground and the ocean. Eventually from these platforms they enter our bodies by the processes of eating, breathing and touching. This continuous cycle has raised concerns among scientists especially about the chemicals that are added to plastic. For instance, BPA present in plastic messes with our hormonal system and can affect testosterone production in men. 98% of people have BPA present in their urine. This does not just apply for BPA, up to 9 different types of microplastics are present in an average person’s stool sample.
Humans ingest significant amounts of plastics through their diet without even knowing it and plastic fragments are increasingly being found in tissues, body fluids and even the placenta. Plastic can cross certain impermeable barriers in our bodies such as the blood brain barrier which protects our brain from toxins and breaching it with plastic can lead to serious neurological problems
There are 2 types of plastics- primary microplastics and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are tiny particles like glitter which are released directly into the environment while secondary plastics form while larger plastics degrade. Most microplastics originate from roads and the rest come from oceans and agricultural dust. Roads and the cars that drive on them provide all the mechanical energy needed to make plastic airborne and thus are the main cause of microplastic pollution.
Half the plastic ever produced has been manufactured in the past 15 years and although trying to gain control over a rapidly increasing rate sounds almost impossible, it is our job to rethink and find alternatives to plastic. Microplastics are a huge local problem and it is not easy to find a solution but the first step is awareness. Incremental changes in cutting down plastic usage are heavily impactful on the environment with its current state.
