What are Microplastics?

Plastic

mi·cro·plas·tic

noun

“extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. “

Definitions from Oxford Languages

Let’s get into it…

Why are microplastics bad?

Plastic is clearly a huge issue when it comes to our oceans. I know you have all heard this before but let’s give it another go. You can find 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean with an additional 8 million metric tons entering our oceans each year.

It is estimated to take plastic anywhere from 20 years (one time use plastic bags) to 450 years (plastic water bottles) to breakdown. However, we rarely talk about the effects of plastic breaking down when this happens in the environment. So, let’s do that now.

Plastic will keep breaking down into smaller pieces due to exposure to extreme temperature, weather, and sunlight. It might sound like a positive for plastic to breakdown, however this material doesn’t decompose and go away. That is where microplastics come in. They are defined as any piece of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters.

Microplastics pose a huge threat to our ecosystems. Let’s say that again… something so small, does in fact pose a huge threat. These smaller pieces are harder to clean up when polluting natural resources. In bodies of water some pieces float and some sink creating a complex situation. However there is hope…In 2019, Fionn Ferreira. a teen scientist created an invention to collect microplastics from the ocean with a magnetic liquid. This method will need to be developed for use at mass scales but at least its one innovation to help clean up the human mess. This may help but not fix the solution so don’t go celebrate just yet.

Another threat is the fact that microplastics are also mistaken as food, impacting nearly 700 ocean species. Some of these marine animals that ingesting microplastics include birds, seals, whales, turtles, fish and many more. Animals have a hard time distinguishing these plastics from their food. According to Nature.com, the ingestion of “plastic can block the gastrointestinal tracts of organisms, or trick them into thinking they don't need to eat, leading to starvation”. According to the Ocean Conservancy, “plastic has been found in more than 60% of all seabirds and in 100% of sea turtles species”.

Where are these microplastics coming from? There are three types : microplastics, microbeads and microfibers.

• Microplastics are what we previously went over. They are the breakdown of everyday plastic into smaller pieces. This can be from plastic bottles, bags, utensils, toys, fishing nets, ext.

• Microbeads are made by design for cosmetic products such as scrubs or toothpaste.

• Microfibers are pieces fibers that wash off clothes derived from plastic such as nylon or polyester. Microfibers have been assessed as the main source of primary microplastics in the oceans.

What can you do?

Now that I scared the s**t out of you lets go over some ways we can each help limit our impact :

• Avoid singe use plastic! These items accelerate the amount of plastic ending up in the ocean or landfill. Neither are a good option. And since plastic doesn’t decompose fully it’s inevitable that they will break down into microplastics, contaminating our ecosystems and even our bodies.

• Avoid certain fabrics made from plastics such as nylon, polyester, and acrylic. If you do have those fabrics (which we all do) try to use a Guppy Bag or Coraball. You can purchase a Guppy Bag on EarchHeros (use code Ariel10 for 10% off). This bag claims to capture microplastics that wash off your fabrics that would otherwise end up in the water system. Air dry these fabrics to reduce the amount of microfibers from coming off in the dryer. It is also expected that higher amounts of microfibers are shedded during the first few washes so purchasing second hand or less clothes can also limit the amount of microfibers you contribute.

• Avoid Microbeads. Microbeads are microplastics that are purposefully created to help scrub and can be found in beauty and hygiene products such as face scrubs or toothpaste. In 2015 the US passed a federal law prohibiting the microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics (toothpaste or face scrubs) and went fully into effect July 1, 2019.

For people who are less worried about our ecosystmens and animals, lets talk about our own bodies. Microplastics have now been found in humans. Along with the ocean, microplastics can be found in the air, lakes, drinking water, marine animals, our food and now humans. Chelsea Rochman, an ecologist explained, “For me, it shows we are eating our waste—mismanagement has come back to us on our dinner plates. And yes, we need to study how it may affect humans.” If you want to learn more about microplastics found in humans you can read an in-depth article on National Geographic.

So now lets learn how to limit our intake of microplastics :

• Limit the amount of fish products you eat. The percentage varies of fish found with plastic ingested int their gastrointestinal tracts based on location. See graph below.

• Filter your water.

• Avoid drinking water from plastic

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Source :

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Ocean Conservation
Nature
Mother Jones
U.S. Food and Drug

ADDITIONAL POSTS

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