1

Toxic Effects of Microplastics

Erin Garza

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

1301-W41: Composition I

Dr. Frances Johnson

November 13, 2020

 2

Toxic Effects of Microplastics

Recently, there has been a wide interest in microplastic pollution and its effect on

humans. There is much evidence to support the hypothesis that microplastic pollution is being

transferred to animals and humans. The accumulation of microplastics in the marine ecosystem

compromises the ability of the already stressed oceans to provide critical ecosystem services that

supports life on land (Andrady, 2017), However, the path to removing microplastic pollution has

still not been completely understood by past research. Therefore, additional studies of how-to

control and filter microplastics are still needed. The purpose of this literature review is to provide

the current conversation among scholars in the research of the hazardous effects microplastics

and its contaminants have on the human body.

What are microplastics?

Microplastics are small synthetic organic polymers that obtain qualities that make them a

unique material that degrades very slowly over time and can be categorized as primary or

secondary microplastics (Guzzetti et al., 2018). These small fragments are created through the

polymerization of natural materials, such as coal, natural gas, and crude oil (Karbalaei et al.,

2018). The polymeric particles of these microplastics are very small and are in the micrometer

size range, less than one millimeter in size (Ziajahromi et al., 2016). The primary source of

microplastics is microbeads made in industries that produce personal care products, while the

second source of microplastics are the fragments created from the breakdown of larger plastic

debris (Andrady, 2017).

Abundance of microplastics
Microplastic pollution has been detected in all over the world such as beaches, seabed

sediments, wastewater, surface water, freshwater systems, and even in the sea ice in the Artic

and Antarctic (Karbalaei et al., 2018). Ng et al. (2018) found that between an estimated 0.8 and

2.5 million tonnes (one tonne is equivalent to 1000 kilograms) of microplastics end up in ocean
 3

waters every year. Most research efforts on microplastics have been on the seawater

environment, but the value of microplastics abundance in freshwater systems vary from almost

none to several million pieces per cubic meter (Li et al., 2018). Li et al. (2018) states a cross-

border research tested 159 drinking water samples from five continents and found that 83% of

them were contaminated with tiny microplastics. Welle and Franz (2018) supports this by

mentioning a study that showed 118 ± 88 particles per liter of bottled mineral water, but not only

are microplastics found in the bottles mineral water, they are also detected in other materials

such as cardboard boxes and glass bottles.

How microplastics transfer to humans

The toxins in microplastics can accumulate in the marine trophic web, which then can

have toxic effects on top predators and humans that consume species contaminated with

microplastics (Barboza et al., 2018). Since humans are the ultimate consumer in the aquatic food

web, microplastics that marine animals have ingested can be transferred to humans through the

consumption of such animals (Wang et al., 2019). Carbery et al. (2018) also states that human

consumption of microplastic pollution can come from terrestrial and aquatic food products, as

well as drinking water and inhalation. Some forms of drinking water that has been proven to be

contaminated with microplastic pollution are both tap water and bottled water (Van Raamsdonk

et al., 2020).

Toxic effects on human body

Microplastics act as carriers of various toxins such as additives from industrial production

and contaminants absorbed in the surface (Li et al., 2018). Li et al. (2018) introduced the results

of studies on fish to demonstrate that microplastics and the toxins they contain cause intestinal

damage and change in metabolic profiles. Medical studies on both rats and humans have

demonstrated the translocation of polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles
 4

<150 μm from the gut cavity to the lymph and circulatory system (Carbery et al., 2018).

Karbalaei et al. (2018) found that PS and PVC release toxic monomers that lead to cancer in

humans, rodents, and invertebrates. Besides the toxicity effects of microplastics and the

dangerous substances within the microplastics being consumed through food by humans, the

prolonged use of hygiene products, such as skin products, can lead to the absorption of

microplastics into the skin causing damage (Sharma & Chatterjee, 2017). Sharma and Chatterjee

(2017) also state in other healthcare products, like toothpaste, can be ingested and may cause

alteration in chromosomes that can cause infertility, obesity, and cancer.

Conclusion
Considering the evidence provided by the different scholars, microplastics are a toxic

pollution to the environment and humans. Microplastics are found in many different things,

which can cause the accumulation of microplastic pollution in humans. The purpose of this

article is to convey the importance of future research involving the abundance and negative

effects of microplastics by reviewing the conversation from several different scholars.

 5

References

Andrady, A. L. (2017). The plastic in microplastics: A review. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 119(1),

12-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.082

Barboza, L. G. A., Dick Vethaak, A., Lavorante, B. R., Lundebye, A.-K., & Guilhermino, L.

(2018). Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and

human health. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 133, 336-348.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.05.047

Carbery, M., O'Connor, W., & Palanisami, T. (2018). Trophic transfer of microplastics and

mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health.

Environment International, 115, 400-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.007

Guzzetti, E., Sureda, A., Tejada, S., & Faggio, C. (2018). Microplastic in marine organism:

Environmental and toxicological effects. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology,

64, 164-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2018.10.009

Karbalaei, S., Hanachi, P., Walker, T. R., & Cole, M. (2018). Occurrence, sources, human health

impacts and mitigation of microplastic pollution. Environmental Science and Pollution

Research, 25(36), 36046-36063. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3508-7

Li, J., Liu, H., & Paul Chen, J. (2018). Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review on

occurrence, environmental effects, and methods for microplastics detection. Water

Research, 137, 362-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.12.056

Ng, E., Huerta-Lwanga, E., Eldridge, S., Johnston, P., Hu, H., Geissen, V., & Chen, D. (2018)

An overview of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in agroecosystems. Science of The

Total Environment, 627, pp. 1377–88, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.341.

 6

Sharma, S., & Chatterjee, S. (2017). Microplastic pollution, a threat to marine ecosystem and

human health: A short review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(27),

21530-21547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9910-8

Van Raamsdonk, L. W. D., Van Der Zande, M., Koelmans, A. A., Hoogenboom, R. L. A. P.,

Peters, R. J. B., Groot, M. J., Peijnenburg, A. A. C. M., & Weesepoel, Y. J. A. (2020).

Current insights into monitoring, bioaccumulation, and potential health effects of

microplastics present in the food chain. Foods, 9(1), 72.

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9010072

Wang, W., Gao, H., Jin, S., Li, R., & Na, G. (2019). The ecotoxicological effects of

microplastics on aquatic food web, from primary producer to human: A review.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 173, 110-117.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.01.113

Welle, F., & Franz, R. (2018). Microplastic in bottled natural mineral water – literature review

and considerations on exposure and risk assessment. Food Additives & Contaminants:

Part a, 35(12), 2482-2492. https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2018.1543957

Ziajahromi, S., Neale, P. A., & Leusch, F. D. L. (2016). Wastewater treatment plant effluent as a

source of microplastics: Review of the fate, chemical interactions and potential risks to

aquatic organisms. Water Science and Technology, 74(10), 2253-2269.

http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.414