Abstract. Environmental pollution arising from plastic waste is a major global concern. Plastic macroparticles, microparticles, and nanoparticles have the potential to affect marine ecosystems and human health. It is generally accepted that microplastic particles are not harmful or at best minimal to human health.

Experiments show that microplastics damage aquatic creatures, as well as turtles and birds: They block digestive tracts, diminish the urge to eat, and alter feeding behavior, all of which reduce growth and reproductive output. Their stomachs stuffed with plastic, some species starve and die.

Once released or broken away from their original plastic product, microplastics can travel through waterways and end up in the ecosystems that serve as homes to a range of marine life, including algae, zooplankton, fish, crabs, sea turtles, and birds.

Microplastics (MPs) are defined by [17] as “synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water.”.

Washing synthetic garments is the biggest source of microplastic pollution! “Plastic breaks Up into microplastics (or microfibers) creating micro pollution. It does not break Down into Nutrients which regenerate the environment”. Microplastics are small pieces of plastics, less than 2-5mm long.

Researchers recently tested various organs from people who had passed away for microplastics, and they found traces of microplastics in every single organ. This is one of the first pieces of proof we have that microplastics can persist in our bodies.

Humans do ingest microplastics and they do at least pass through the digestive system, as evidenced by the finding that they were widely found in fecal samples from people all over the world.

Here are five concrete ways to reduce your microplastic footprint.

1. Change how you do laundry.
2. Buy clothes made from natural materials.
3. Stop using single-use plastics.
4. Use public transportation.
5. Buy plastic-free cosmetics.

The biggest sources of human exposure to microplastics likely come from airborne dust, drinking water (including treated tap water and bottled water) and seafood (shellfish in particular, because we eat the entire animal), Rochman says.

People are also known to consume them via food and water, and to breathe them in, but the potential impact on human health is not yet known. The researchers expect to find the particles in human organs and have identified chemical traces of plastic in tissue.

Microplastics exposure can cause toxicity through oxidative stress, inflammatory lesions, and increased uptake or translocation. Several studies have demonstrated the potentiality of metabolic disturbances, neurotoxicity, and increased cancer risk in humans.

Several in vitro (i.e., human cell culture) and in vivo rodent studies indicate the potential of inhaled or ingested microplastics to cause a variety of biological effects, including physical (particle) toxicity, leading to oxidative stress, secretion of cytokines, cellular damage, inflammatory and immune reactions.

Carbon Blocks faucet filters: The most efficient ones, such as TAPP 2 (sold as Flo Faucet in the US) remove 100% of all known microplastics. Reverse Osmosis filters: Can filter down to to 0.001 micron so will remove all known microplastics, but are more expensive and require maintenance.

Studies of the exposure to microplastics in several groups of test organisms such as crustaceans, mollusks and fish, suggest that these small particles may induce physical and chemical toxicity, including genotoxicity, oxidative stress, changes in behavior, reproductive impairment, mortality, population growth rate …

Here are six ways to avoid microplastics.

1. Filter Your Tap Water.
2. Avoid Plastic Containers.
3. Avoid Beauty Products With Microbeads.
4. Air Dry Your Clothes.
5. Try To Limit Eating Meat & Fish.
6. Stick With Non-Synthetic Clothing Fibers.

Since microplastics are less than 5 mm long, using a filter that has a pore sizes on the micrometer (micron) scale will be capable of physically removing most microplastics from water. A filter with a pore size less than 0.1 micrometers (0.0001 mm or 100 nm) is ideal for removing microplastics from water.

17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Microscopic bits of plastic have most likely taken up residence in all of the major filtering organs in your body, a new lab study suggests. Researchers found evidence of plastic contamination in tissue samples taken from the lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys of donated human cadavers.

People across the world unwittingly consume roughly 5 grams of plastic each week in the course of daily life, or about the weight of a credit card, according to Australian researchers. That’s about 250 grams per year—more than a half-pound of plastic every 12 months.

Globally, we are ingesting an average of 5 grams of plastic every week, the equivalent of a credit card, a new study suggests. This plastic contamination comes from “microplastics” – particles smaller than five millimeters – which are making their way into our food, drinking water and even the air.

Its official – microplastics have been found in our drinking water. A recent study by OrbMedia analyzed 159 water samples, sourced from both tap water and bottled water in 14 countries, and found that over 80% of all samples contained tiny plastic particles, with an average of 4.34 plastic particles per liter of water.

WHO Study Finds No Evidence Of Health Concerns From Microplastics In Drinking Water The World Health Organization says that the tiny particles of plastic found everywhere in the environment do not appear to pose any significant risk to human health.

Recent studies show bottled water containing excessive levels of microplastics – small pieces of plastic debris less than five millimeters in size. According to research conducted by Orb Media, 93% of the 11 bottled water brands sampled, all showed traces of microplastics.

Our life is plasticised! New research shows microplastics present in frequently consumed fruit and vegetables. It is time to ban throwaway plastic packaging and support research into the health impacts of plastic pollution.

Humans consume microplastics via many channels. We might ingest them while eating seafood, breath them in through the air, or consume food with trace amounts of its plastic packaging. Fragments of plastic like those commonly used for bags and straws were the second most common plastic found.

Microplastics, as the name implies, are tiny plastic particles. Secondary microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles. This breakdown is caused by exposure to environmental factors, mainly the sun’s radiation and ocean waves.