Microplastics: What are they and what are their health effects?

Wildlife, oceans, remote regions of the earth, human bodies and daily household items- all have been shown to be exposed to microplastics. 

What are microplastics? 

Defined as plastic smaller than five millimeters, microplastics are of two types. 

• Primary microplastics. They are manufactured with a purpose for use in different products such as cosmetics, fertilizers, clothing, and paint, toothpaste, among others. 
• Secondary microplastics. They are the result of the breakdown of plastic products such as water bottles and plastic containers. 

When products containing microplastics become exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, the plastic components become brittle, and parts of it might come off in small flakes. Over time, these small particles are further pulverized thus becoming smaller. They become so minute that when they float in the air, be washed up in the ocean, or stick to surfaces, they can be ingested by other organisms.  

How did microplastics become pervasive? 

Some scientists define microplastics’s size as less than 1 millimeter, so small that they can be eaten by plankton which get eaten by bigger organisms, then finally can end up in food humans consume. 

Researchers have found polyethylene, plastic that is used in making plastic bottles, plastic wraps and food containers, in the stomach of small shrimps.

During washing, clothes with plastic in them release very small plastic fibers, so water with plastic enters treatment plants and gets into our waterways. 

Imagine our simple everyday activities and the tools we have around the house, and how we use these items with plastic in them. 

This microplastic exposure has become so pervasive that recent studies show that even our daily sources of protein like fish, tofu, processed meat, chicken, and even plant-based protein alternatives already contain microplastics! 

Why should we be concerned about microplastics? 

Research on the effects of microplastics on human health and wildlife  is relatively new. But this is a concern that merits our attention. 

Physical effects 

The sheer size, shape and the amount of microplastics that get into our human bodies is linked to negative health effects. 

Chemical effects

Meanwhile, plastic in products are not merely the concern, but the chemicals added to them that are also concerning. These chemicals that may be additives and raw materials, or chemicals that get absorbed from the environment. 

Chemical additives function to change the color, make products transparent or stronger, but when they separate from the plastic, many of them are toxic to health when they get into our air, food, water, and body.

These chemicals include Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) or chemicals that have been shown to influence the function of human hormones.

Researchers are looking into the possibility that these chemicals negatively affect the development of our organs that are responsible for hormone production and release. There are also concerns about microplastic exposure’s  link to cancers related to hormones like in the breast, prostate and testes. 

This reminds us that the little things we do have ripple effects on our ecosystem and that there is a need to work together for a more sustainable manufacturing and use of products we use daily. It will make for a safer and healthier future! 

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