By Hauwa Ali
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles, are all around us and pollute nearly every ecosystem on Earth, becoming a major environmental threat.
Originating from plastics that have broken apart due to weathering from the sun, wind, or other causes,microplasticsare increasingwith more continually added from various sources of waste.
Impacting the Oceans
The Oceans are particularly affected by microplastics. A newly published study suggests, thousands of meters below sea level are the “final resting place” for a disturbingly large amount of the tiniest plastic particles.
Measuring less than 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) long, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), millions of the sesame-seed sized plastics float and sinkinto the ocean every day, with more continually added from various sources.
Unlikelarger objects like plastic bottles, hair combs, and toothbrushes that continuously flow into the ocean, microplastics prove much more challenging to remove due to their small size. Volunteers can easily pick up large items during beach cleanups, but microplastics are often too small to spot or grab in moving water.
A study, recently published in the journal ‘Science of The Total Environment’, reveals that the deep sea serves as the “oceans’ garbage dump”—and it is surprisingly dynamic when it comes to deposition. The high biodiversity at the deepest ocean floor is severely threatened by microplastic pollution.
“Not a single site was free of microplastics,Per kilogram of sediment, we detected between 215 and 1,596 microplastic particles—no one would have expected such a large number prior to this.”reports marine biologist Serena Abel, who took part in the research.
By using the micro-FTIR method, a special variant of a spectrometer, the researchers were able to detect even the smallest microplastic particles.
“Each year, an estimated 2.4 to 4 million tons of plastic enter the oceans via rivers as a result of excessive global plastic consumption and poorly organized waste disposal. A significant portion of these particles sinks to the ocean floor and accumulates in the sediment, while others are carried by currents to the deepest regions, where they are eventually deposited. This turns the deep sea into the ‘final waste repository’,” the report warns.
Among the most common substances of microplastics found were polypropylene, one of the standard plastics used for packaging worldwide, as well as acrylates and polyurethane, which are used for paints.
The research team was surprised by the large differences between the individual samples. “Until now, the deepest ocean floor was considered a comparatively unaffected and stable environment where microplastics were deposited and remained in one place. Thus, we were all the more surprised to find that even samples taken only a few meters apart showed very a different composition,” says Abel. “This demonstrates just what a dynamic environment the deepest areas of the deep sea really are. The sediment is kept in motion not only by special currents and eddies, but also by the organisms native to the area.”
Researchers from Curtin’s WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC) who also have analyzed seawater samples have found microplastics present in the vast majority of samples, including those from very remote areas of the world’s oceans.
Collected at 177 locations across the 46,100km voyage, including areas of the Southern Hemisphere not previously tested for microplastics, Lead researcher and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Kliti Grice said the analysis provided the first accurate measure of the presence of microplastics in unique ocean environments, the source of which may include vehicle tire dust, pellet spills, textiles, building debris, cosmetics, and packaging materials.
“Our analysis found microplastics were present in the vast majority of the waters sampled, even in very remote ocean areas of the Southern Hemisphere.
“The vast majority of the seawater filters used by Jon were found to contain microplastics however some areas of ocean, particularly the Pacific, had several consecutive sampling locations not near any major islands where no microplastics were observed.
“Microplastics were found all along the eastern and southern seaboards of Australia including the Southern Ocean in the Great Australian Bight.
“While there were no ‘hot spots’ of contamination, two sampling stations, approximately 600km off the coast of Brazil, recorded relatively high numbers of microplastics at about 250 particles per cubic meter of seawater.”
Co-researcher Dr. Alan Scarlett, also from WA-OIGC, said although the analysis found several types of microplastic such as polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene and synthetic rubber, which are used in products such as drink bottles, packaging and tires, no particular type of plastic dominated.
“The size of particles observed was typically close to the lower size limit defined as a microplastic and were mostly gray/black in color,” Dr. Scarlett said.
“Many fibers collected were too small for us to properly analyze and therefore the numbers reported are likely to be an underestimate of the actual number of microplastics present in the oceans.
“On average, water sampled during the voyage contained 33 particles per cubic meter of seawater, which is consistent with other studies of remote areas of ocean.
“Disturbingly, other studies also suggest there are far greater numbers of microplastics present at a greater depth than sampled during our study.
“This research gathers further vital information about the presence and impact of plastic pollution on the world’s oceans, which may help in the preservation of the ocean and marine environment.” He added.
In fact,It is precisely the high biodiversity in the deep sea that is now under particular threat due to the heavy microplastic pollutionsumming up the researchers’ concern about the continuously increasing plastic pollution in the oceans.
Impacting Animals
Microplastic contamination has been reported in beef and pork, as well as in the blood of cows and pigs on farms.
Scientists at the VrijeUniversiteit Amsterdam (VUA) in the Netherlandsho conducted the test recently, tested 12 samples of cows’ blood and 12 of pigs’ blood and found microplastics in all of them, including polyethylene and polystyrene.
Also from the 25 milk samples included, were milk from supermarket cartons, milk tanks on farms and hand-milking.
Eighteen of the samples, including at least one of each type, contained microplastics.
Seven of the eight beef samples and five of the eight pork samples were contaminated.
The researchers found the particles in three-quarters of meat and milk products tested and every blood sample in their pilot study.
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They were also found in every sample of animal pellet feed tested, indicating a potentially important route of contamination. The food products were packaged in plastic, which is another possible route.
The researchers had also reported microplastics in human blood for the first time in March, and they used the same methods to test the animal products.
The impact on human or farm animal health is as yet unknown, but researchers are concerned because microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.
Some wildlife are also known to be harmed by microplastics as Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment, and microplastics have contaminated the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans.
People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in.
“When you’re measuring blood, you’re finding out the absorbed dose from all the different exposure routes: air, water, food, et cetera,” said Dr Heather Leslie at VUA. “So it’s very interesting because it immediately tells you what’s penetrating into the river of life.”
Maria Westerbos at the Plastic Soup Foundation, which commissioned the research, said: “With microplastics present in livestock feed, it is not surprising that a clear majority of the meat and dairy products tested contained microplastics. We urgently need to rid the world of plastic in animal feed to protect the health of livestock and humans.
Impacting Humans
The discovery of microplasticparticles in blood shows they can travel around the body and may lodge in organs.
The scientists analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors, all healthy adults and found plastic particles in 17.
Half the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in drinks bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made.
“Our study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood – it’s a breakthrough result,” said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at VrijeUniversiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.” Further studies by a number of groups are already under way, he said.
“It is certainly reasonable to be concerned, the particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” He said
Previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the faeces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day.
“We also know in general that babies and young children are more vulnerable to chemical and particle exposure,” he said. “That worries me a lot.”
“The big question is what is happening in our body?” Vethaak said. “Are the particles retained in the body? Are they transported to certain organs, such as getting past the blood-brain barrier?” And are these levels sufficiently high to trigger disease? We urgently need to fund further research so we can find out.”
“Plastic production is set to double by 2040,” said Jo Royle, founder of the charity Common Seas. “We have a right to know what all this plastic is doing to our bodies.”
Another recent study found that microplastics can latch on to the outer membranes of red blood cells and may limit their ability to transport oxygen. The particles have also been found in the placentas of pregnant women, and in pregnant rats they pass rapidly through the lungs into the hearts, brains and other organs of the foetuses.
A new review paper published recently, co-authored by Vethaak, assessed cancer risk and concluded: “More detailed research on how micro- and nano-plastics affect the structures and processes of the human body, and whether and how they can transform cells and induce carcinogenesis, is urgently needed, particularly in light of the exponential increase in plastic production.”
The problem is becoming more urgent with each day. Microplastics are a major environmental threat despite their tiny size, but they don’t have to continue affecting the environment if we all think big and act quickly.
