Relevance: mains: G.S paper III:Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its first report into the effects of microplastics on human health.
Key findings of the report:
- In this report, WHO looked into the specific impact of microplastics in tap and bottled water.
- The level of microplastics in drinking water is not yet a health risk for humans. Microplastics larger than 150 micrometres are not likely to be absorbed by the human body but the chance of absorbing very small microplastic particles, including nano-sized plastics, could be higher.
- WHO has called on researchers to conduct a more in-depth evaluation into microplastics and the potential impact on human health.
Microplastics
What is microplastic pollution?
We already know that plastic is a problem. We use articles like plastic bottles or bags once or a handful of times and then throw them out. Plastic cluttered beaches, massive landfills, and sea animals with clogged stomachs are clear evidence of this problem. However, what has only begun to become clear in the past few years, is that there is also a consequence of plastic that is harder to see. Tiny pieces of plastic (5 mm or smaller) are termed microplastics, and just because they are smaller doesn’t mean that we should ignore them. They have disastrous consequences for marine life and health, not to mention that the plastic could remain in the water forever!
Microplastics can be categorized by their source. There are two main types, primary and secondary. Primary microplastics are purposefully made to be that size, while secondary microplastics are bits of plastic that break down from larger pieces. There is another group that has only recently been discovered, that come from the human use of objects.
Why are they a problem?
The problem with microplastics is that they are so small that they are usually not picked up by water filtration and make it out into rivers and oceans. Microplastics are bad because fish and other aquatic animals eat them and they die or have health problems. Not only fish are affected, so are worms, zooplankton, and crustaceans. Fish then eat these prey species and the plastic accumulates inside of them. They can feel full because their stomachs are full of plastic and not get enough of the food that they actually need. And let’s not forget that humans eat fish and sea salt, therefore, ultimately, the plastic ends up in us!
The microplastics never dissolve and stay in the ocean forever. Plastic does not biodegrade because it is new to the environment and bacteria have not evolved to break down the carbon-carbon links found in plastic. Plastic can constantly be broken down into smaller pieces but will always remain there. Only if and when bacteria evolve the ability to break down plastic on a large scale (there have been some isolated cases) will the plastic be biodegraded. Let’s not count on that. Major changes need to follow on an industrial (such as for fleeces and tires) and governmental level (such as laws for managing ocean waste).