Plastic is not only polluting the environment but also, our bodies. Microplastics are now everywhere in our environment. From our water to the animals around us and now, ourselves. Fragments of plastic (nano/microplastics) have been found in almost every part of the human body such as arteries, the placenta, kidneys, hearts, and liver. According to a recent article by CNN, in the olfactory bulb (the base of the human brain).
Every week, we ingest around 5g of microplastics, which is roughly the same amount of plastic in a credit card. Throughout our lifetime, we inhale (minimum) between 363 and 1019 meters worth of microplastics, which is the equivalent of the height of the Eiffel Tower and 200 meters higher than the Burj Khalifa. How is all of this plastic getting into our bodies? Most commonly, it’s getting into the body through food and drinks, but there are various other ways, such as through inhalation and even through our skin. It’s most commonly found in water. In a single liter-sized plastic bottle, there are about a quarter of a million pieces of nanoplastic. Even simple seasonings like salt can pick up pieces of nanoplastics. It can also be found in the air we breathe. When water containing these plastics evaporates, the plastics also go into the atmosphere and they get into the air. Nanoplastics are also produced by tires that wear down from friction and heat. These plastics fly off the tires and into the air. They can also travel thousands of miles through the Earth’s atmosphere. According to IQAir’s “How do microplastics get in the air?” study in 2020 by Nature Communications, over 3,082 kilotonnes of tire shreds were found in the planet’s atmosphere. This is roughly the same weight as 1/131 of a neutron star which weighs 882 billion pounds.
Though our bodies can get rid of these plastics, some can still find their way to cause problems such as heart attacks, strokes, and even death. These plastics, like any other foreign object, do harm to your body. According to Ciel.org: “Breathing Plastic: The Health Impacts of Invisible Plastics in the Air.” with time, microplastics can cause swelling and damage to your windpipe and to the tissue of your lungs, which will affect your breathing and cause chest pain. Also, microplastics can build up and damage the air sacs in your lungs. This can increase your risk of developing emphysema and lung cancer. Inhaling certain microplastics which are polluted can cause other symptoms such as: trouble breathing, nausea, disorientation, kidney damage, and cancer of the skin, lungs, bladder, liver, or stomach.
However, there are some things you can do to avoid inhaling and ingesting micro/nanoplastics. A big step would be to filter your tap water or avoid drinking from plastic bottles of water, opting for a reusable water bottle instead. Furthermore, avoiding seafood can help a lot. Since plastic is ending up in the ocean, sealife is mistaking it for food and eating it. The plastic stays in their digestive system until they get rid of it naturally. If they are unable to do this by the time they are captured by fishermen and sold, the plastic will stay in their digestive system and be ingested. Avoid microwaving plastic containers because they can release microplastic particles as well as harmful chemicals such as phthalates. For tea lovers, stop using tea bags and instead use loose tea leaves. This is because tea bags have also been found to be a major culprit of microplastic contamination. The packets shed billions of particles into your tea. Spending more time outside can also help, because it minimizes the time spent breathing in air from your home that has been found to contain microplastics. Researchers have found that people spend 90% of their life indoors (mostly in their homes) which is a plastic-rich environment that includes carpeting, paint, curtains, and other materials that are full of plastics. Despite taking countermeasures, we cannot completely avoid microplastics, but we can hold companies and officials accountable for causing some of this trouble. Boycotting companies that dump plastic in the ocean and polluting land can help us reduce the amount of micro and nanoplastics in our environment. Finally, supporting other causes such as the Toxic Substances Control Act to better regulate chemicals in nonfood products, or other initiatives that have been endorsed previously by the American Academy of Pediatrics, can help limit the amount of plastics released in our environment.
Works Cited
“Breathing Plastic: The Health Impacts of Invisible Plastics in the Air.” Center for International Environmental Law, 27 March 2023, https://www.ciel.org/breathing-plastic-the-health-impacts-of-invisible-plastics-in-the-air/. Accessed 19 September 2024.
Fleming, Amy. “’They’re in the air, drinking water, dust, food …’ How to reduce your exposure to microplastics.” The Guardian, 11 July 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jul/10/air-drinking-water-dust-food-how-to-reduce-exposure-microplastics. Accessed 19 September 2024.
“How do microplastics get in the air?” IQAir, 31 December 2019, https://www.iqair.com/newsroom/microplastics-effects-on-air-pollution. Accessed 19 September 2024.
Jones, Nicola. “Microplastics Are Filling the Skies. Will They Affect the Climate?” Yale E360, 1 February 2023, https://e360.yale.edu/features/plastic-waste-atmosphere-climate-weather. Accessed 19 September 2024.
Lauria, Maddy. “How to Avoid Microplastics: Ways to Reduce Your Exposure.” one5c, 13 December 2023, https://one5c.com/how-to-avoid-microplastics-136931472/. Accessed 19 September 2024.