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By: Justin Yarrington Summary: As of recently, we have been finding more and more trace amounts of microplastics in the atmosphere and in our waters. This not only has a direct impact on the biotic and abiotic factors of our ecosystems. It also has a direct impact on us humans as well. As of now we are not entirely sure of the implications that these microplastics have on our health. Some scientists believe that the ingestion of microplastics can cause health problems like diabetes and cancer. However the scary part about all of this is how easily these microplastics are ingested. They can be in the air and we can come in contact with them via breathing or we could eat fish or other aquatic species that have consumed plastic. These are just two ways however it's kinda frightening because all of the animals in the water and the ones that breathe air are also susceptible to these dangers. This is truly sad because these microplastics were brought about by us and we naturally bring down other species with this pollution. According to a study done by the Annals of Internal Medicine on the amount of microplastics in human stool all of the eight participants had over nine different microplastics in their stool. These microplastics ranged from polypropylene to polyethylene terephthalate. This is quite alarming however it is questionable because the study had a low sample size. In a journal about microplastics in seafood and the implications of human health, Jambeck suggests that the toxicity of these plastics is dose dependent. Meaning it depends on how much seafood a person ingests to determine how damaging the effects are. This is alarming because the journal also says that nutritionists suggest that we double our intake of seafood. Why we should care? We should care about this issue because these problems are directly caused by humans and if we do not care then humans will begin to see the negative aspects first hand.  Photo Credit: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2008/S00152/activists-demand-bolder-anti-pollution-efforts-after-scientists-find-microplastics-in-human-organs.htm Example Article. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20200817/autopsies-show-microplastics-in-all-major-human-organs#1 I choose this article because webmd.com clearly outlines the specific health risks associated with these Microplastics in our organs. Some of the dangers they include are obesity, diabetes, and even becoming infertile. Along with this the website also includes specific figures on how much plastic we might be consuming. One of the statistics included are we consume about five grams of plastic a week or about a credit card. When I heard this, my jaw dropped. Along with this, I enjoyed how webmd.com included some ways we can cut back on potentially ingesting these particles. One of the ways listen was use reusable water bottles and eat less packaged food. Webmd also included almost exactly how small these particles are. They said that although they are barely visible to the eye they are 5 millimeters in diameter or about 0.2 inches. Science in Action.
Charlie Rolsky is Director of Science, North America, for Plastic Oceans International. I included Mr. Rolsky as a scientist that covers this topic because I really admire how diverse his works range from. Rolsky is the director of science for North America at Plastic Oceans International. Plastic Oceans International is a non profit organization centered around creating awareness for the large amount of plastics in our ocean. Along with this Charles Rolsky is also involved with research at Arizona State University. Something that I admire about Rolsky is that he studies the ocean by networking with people around the world so that he can get samples of ocean water to test the microplastic content. Rolsky said he loves doing research this way because it encourages people from all walks of life to be passionate about environmental issues. Along with this Rolsky is also involved with a youtube series called breaking it down which is all about educating people about environmental issues.
9 Comments
Kyle M
10/23/2020 17:27:04
I’d be curious to know if the bioaccumulation of these microplastics is prevalent only in seafood, or if it’s been linked to other meat products? The problem of plastic pollution, while huge in the oceans, occurs on land as well.
Brielle M
10/28/2020 22:51:19
I never knew we consumed as much plastic as we do! I did the conversion, and assuming that the 5 grams of plastic consumption is the average for each week, that means we consume about 240 grams a year! That's the size of one and a half hockey pucks or the size of a hamster! That is crazy to me that we eat that much and most of the time we are completely unaware of it. I would be curious to know how much plastic is accumulated in the seafood we eat then, since that is where most of our plastic consumption stems from. I would also like to know how other animals are affected by plastic consumption. Do they consume the same amount we do or less based on their diets?
Mallory Evatz
11/8/2020 10:39:40
This topic was very interesting. I was aware of the dangerous affects of microplastics are but I did not realize how prevalent the issue was specifically for humans. After reading more about the health issues associated with the ingestion of microplastics I am much more hesitant about purchasing packaged food. The fact we on average consume 5 grams of plastic per week definitely is reason enough for us as consumers to reassess our methods in packaging food and what we choose to consume. 11/16/2020 18:06:24
I really enjoyed reading this because I did not know that plastic in the ocean could affect anything outside of that. It is sad that we are the cause of our own harm, but at least we can also be the solution. We should all do our part at the bare minimum, not being the kind of people who contribute to this issue.
Michael VanPaepeghem
11/19/2020 10:15:02
This was a really interesting and eye opening read. I had some prior knowledge about the microplastics being in the oceans. The fact that we as humans consume these is shocking but understandable. I am curious about the inhalation aspect of microplastics entering our body. Where is this more prevalent? In terms of the research conducted it is surprising how little participants were involved. You would think a study like this would be very intriguing to environmentally aware participants.
Carlos Rodriguez
11/28/2020 23:39:57
Prior to this class I had no idea what microplastics were or that they even existed. That being said, I feel that maybe there are others out there who are completely unaware of them so they think it's not that big of a deal. If people were to get educated on the topic, perhaps we would start seeing them start using reusable bags and avoiding plastic more.
Arpita Patel
11/29/2020 13:42:38
Plastic pollution is one of the worst ways to increase pollution. Plastics is really bad since there are only few ways to recycle it. Plastics also require a lot of oil to be used to create that plastics. I know for example, in India, there is ban of plastics to reduce landfill pollutions and when the waste is burned, it won't release toxic gases. NYC still to this day dumps trash into the ocean causing ocean wildlife to increase.v
Nil Akbari
11/29/2020 13:56:41
Plastic pollution is very bad. We have countries that burn their trash which is 70% composed with plastics. Burning plastics releases very toxic gases that are super bad and terrible for the environment. The gases released are dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (better known as BCPs) into the atmosphere that poses a threat to vegetation, and human and animal health. Burning plastic also releases black carbon (soot), which contributes to climate change and air pollution
Alex Day
11/29/2020 23:28:26
I never really considered how many microplastics I’ve ingested, but once you said we consume a credit card a week I was amazed and horrified. I now need to reconsider how much prepackaged food I eat, and am concerned as to what the long-term results of this will look like due to how widespread this issue is. Leave a Reply. |
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