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A Fact Sheet: Microplastics in the Environment

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A Fact Sheet: Microplastics in the Environment

 

WHAT

 

According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), plastics form the largest form

 

of marine debris, especially in large water bodies like oceans and seas (Silva et al. 2018). These

 

plastics come in diverse shapes and sizes, the smallest being “microplastics”. The following are

 

important points to note about microplastics:

 

  • Microplastics are plastic pieces that are less than 5 millimeters in size. They are used for

 

different purposes in diverse industries including the manufacturing sector and 3D

 

printing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig1: Illustration of Microplastics

 

  • They are found in different items that we use on a daily basis including toothpaste, fabric

 

clothes, and cosmetic products (Duis & Coors, 2016). In most cases, they are used as

 

containers for packaging these consumer products.

 

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  • They are also created when different forms of large plastics break down into small pieces,

 

hence the name “microplastics”.

 

  • They are a major concern because they cannot be addressed through conventional waste

 

management treatment. They remain intact without decaying and are washed away into

 

water bodies thereby causing severe environmental damage.

 

  • Some of the common sources of these microplastics include urban runoff, agricultural

 

deposits, ocean dumping, cruise ships, and the fishing companies, among others.

 

  • Microplastics are found in every water body from rivers, oceans to sea beds across the

 

world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig 2: Sources of Microplastics

 

WHY

 

Microplastics should be a concern to communities because of different reasons. Efforts to

 

conserve the natural environment and make it healthy becomes futile if we fail to manage

 

plastics and ignore the best waste management practices (Silva et al. 2018). First, it is important

 

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to note that there is a scientific ambiguity concerning the challenges or risks presented by

 

microplastics. Microplastic is a concern because:

 

  • The present serious health risks if ingested. Studies have shown that they can block the

 

gastrointestinal of an animal leading to a serious complication or even death (Dris et al.

 

2016).

 

  • An increase in microplastics in the environment, especially in the water that we drink or

 

through the food chain can cause unimaginable damage.

 

  • Some microplastic chemicals are also toxic to our environment. They cause significant

 

damage to the health of the natural environment, a serious issue that has prompted many

 

scholars to mount a campaign on how to prevent or address them.

 

  • Various pollutants have been associated with the increase of microplastics in the

 

environments.

 

  • They include Dioxin, POPs, PBDEs, PCBs, and PAHs among others (Dris et al. 2016).

 

These are harmful toxins that bring adverse impacts not only to human health but also to

 

the environment.

 

WHO

 

Various groups of people within the community are at risk of the negative effects of

 

microplastics. The list of populations at high risks are captured below:

 

  • People who work in facilities that manufacture plastics or products that are

 

packed in plastics. The tiny particles of plastics may find their way into the water

 

or foods that they take jeopardizing their health (Dris et al. 2016).

 

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  • In addition, people who work in waste management facilities or in areas where

 

wastes are disposed of are also at high risk of absorbing the toxins (Dris et al.

 

2016).

 

  • On a cruise ship

 

  • Individuals involved in the fishing and fish farming industries

 

Other groups that are likely to be exposed include:

 

  • Consumers who take products that have microbeads such as kinds of toothpaste

 

  • People who tour seashores and coastlines where large amounts of microplastics are

 

deposited

 

  • Divers and fishermen who go into the water bodies like oceans

 

Recommendations for Personal Care

 

The threat of microplastics can be done if different personal initiatives are made. These include:

 

  • Reducing the consumption of products that contain microplastics (Silva et al. 2018). This

 

includes skincare and toothpaste products that are rich in microplastics.

 

  • Going for other forms of bags other than the plastics ones, especially when shopping. It is

 

also advisable to consider glasses over plastics

 

  • Recycling the plastics that have been used so that more of them cannot be manufactured

 

and brought into the already saturated environment

 

  • Avoid disposing of plastics into water bodies like lakes and oceans

 

Policy Recommendations

 

Microplastics can also be managed by creating different effective policies including:

 

  1. Policy and legislation on plastic litter should be enforced more seriously. The policy

 

should be able to match the scale of the problem. At the same time, it is necessary to have

 

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penalties that match the violation. Importantly, the policy should be informed by science

 

and not political response.

 

  1. An effective legal program for managing marine debris should be instituted. It will ensure

 

that our lakes and oceans are protected and aquatic life be safeguarded

 

  1. Assign more resources to waste management and environmental oversight authority to

 

enforce the available policies

 

  1. Mount an educational campaign meant to sensitize the public about proper environmental

 

practices

 

Additional information can be retrieved from the following sources:

 

  1. Great Pacific Garbage/ National Geographic Society

 

  1. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

 

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 

  1. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

 

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References

 

Dris, R., Gasperi, J., Saad, M., Mirande, C., & Tassin, B. (2016). Synthetic fibers in atmospheric

 

fallout: a source of microplastics in the environment?. Marine pollution bulletin, 104(1-

 

2), 290-293.

 

Duis, K., & Coors, A. (2016). Microplastics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment: sources

 

(with a specific focus on personal care products), fate and effects. Environmental

 

Sciences Europe, 28(1), 2.

 

Silva, A. B., Bastos, A. S., Justino, C. I., da Costa, J. P., Duarte, A. C., & Rocha-Santos, T. A.

 

(2018). Microplastics in the environment: Challenges in analytical chemistry-A

 

review. Analytica chimica acta, 1017, 1-19.

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