Kaileigh Kulp

Research Paper Draft #1

WRIT 101
10-21-21

Introduction -
As there is an increasing discussion surrounding the topic of climate change, many
civilians and scientists are starting to think about the effects of all kinds of materials on
the environment as well as our bodies. One of such materials in the hotseat lately has
been microplastics. Microplastics are defined as any piece of plastic from a product, in
raw form or degraded off of a larger piece that is smaller than 5mm in size. Plastics
have only been ubiquitous since approximately the 1960’s, and thus are fairly recent
materials. Plastics can be made of many different compositions and mixtures of
chemicals, and are used in a variety of applications. As these plastics breakdown it is
difficult to say what the future will bring. Environmental impacts and potential impacts to
human health are both possibilities, and it is very much still a topic of discussion in the
scientific community. Because microplastics have not been around for an extended
amount of time, their impacts on the human body are still very much debated within the
scientific community. Some sources site studies that compare the pollution that
microplastics cause to particulate pollution similar to that call by vehicles and the
burning of fossil fuels. Others say that microplastics as they are in the environment now
are not present in levels high enough to be harmful to the human body. Studying the
effects of microplastics on both humans any environment has been extraordinarily
difficult as microplastics can take on many different shapes, forms, compositions, and
sizes when they are found in the world. Some studies have attempted to obtain
microplastics from the environment to use to test on small rodents or human tissue cells
well other studies create their own microplastics in the lab. Such differences in testing
and debate surrounding the toxicity of plastics create a confusing dynamic for the
general public to understand the issues surrounding the effects of microplastics.
THESIS SENTENCE HERE
 There is a lot of debate around the extent and true effects of microplastics on
human health. Recently a study by the World Health Organization was released stating
that, “the presence of microplastics in air and drinking water is not likely to be absorbed
by the human body and thus does not pose any significant risk.” This claim is it
generally bold statement that did not get received well by the scientific community. The
study that the World Health Organization did was not extensive in the ways the other
researchers had wanted. Additionally, this study seemed to focus more on the fact that
the government had placed a ban on microplastics in 2015 with The Microbead Free
Waters Act of 2015. The article by Brown even said that it is “Common with
governments to have a ban first ask questions later approach.” Another study written by
Lim confirmed that humans eat, drink, inhale, and come in contact with microplastics on
a daily basis. While this initially seems concerning, scientists in this article seemed to
have determined not the predicted levels of microplastics in the environment are not
currently such that would cause bodily harm.

Because there is so much confusion, there are a lot of contradictory viewpoints

on the subject. Several other studies have been done on microplastics specifically
concerning babies and developing fetuses. Scientists are becoming increasingly
concerned because the levels of microplastics found in baby feces is significantly higher
then concentrations found in adult feces. This is a recent finding that is particularly
concerning as more scientists agree that microplastics are potential endocrine
disruptors. Researcher Kannan strongly believes that microplastics affect early stages
of development as children and babies are so vulnerable during these stages of life.
Another study even found evidence of microplastics inside of placentas. this was
obviously a concerning finding, and a difficult subject for scientists and mothers alike to
understand as this means there are foreign contaminants extremely close to a
developing baby. Is this hypothesized that microplastics could be responsible for
immune responses or potentially release toxins, both of which would severely impact a
potential pregnancy. For now, researchers advise parents against using plastic milk
bottles or at least not mixing the formula hot in a plastic bottle, it is also recommended
to sweep or vacuum floors that the baby crawls or plays on frequently.

The pandemic changed a lot about our lives, but especially introduced a new level of
trash associated with personal protective equipment. PPE is no longer only for health
care professionals, it is now necessary for the general public to use masks, and gloves.
As a result, there has been a significant increase in the amount of trash on beaches
around the globe. Multiple research institutions such as OceansAsia have been
studying the effects of the increase in plastic waste. Other studies have confirmed the
presence of high concentrations of microplastics in the air in London. Microplastics have
even been found in the Alps and the Arctic. This increasing trend of concentration of
microplastics suggests that there is not likely to be any decrease in plastic usage with
policy and convention as it is now. Researchers warn that as microplastic
concentrations increase both human and environmental health are likely to be impacted
further if they are not already. Microplastics in the ocean were studied before the effects
of microplastics on the human body. Microplastics have been confirmed to be present in
both fish meal and fish meant for human consumption. However researchers worry
about the lack of information around small micro plastics is there even harder to see
since there even smaller and require more expensive equipment to observe.

A study by Vethaak hypothesized that there are parallels between microplastic pollution
and particulate air pollution. He thus hypothesizes that it is possible microplastics could
have similar adverse effects as particulate pollution such as, being able to cross cell
membranes, cause information, cause oxidative stress, cell and DNA damage,
neurotoxic effects, metabolic effects, and an increased risk of cancer. Furthermore, it
has been confirmed that microplastics can serve as hosts for the growth of biofilms.
Such biofilms have the potential to carry pathogens and viruses, and some scientists
even worry that microplastics cut thus serve as vectors of possible spread of pathogens
in viruses. It is still unclear whether or not microplastics can be absorbed through
biological barriers suggest skin or intestines. Overall more research needs to be
completed in order to completely understand extent and severity of the effects
microplastics have on the human body.

Microplastics are still valuable in their manufactured form as they are oftentimes used in
cleaning and personal care products. Because they have been banned alternatives
need to be found they have some similar material properties. This is only one way to
mitigate possible risks in the environment or the human body plastic waste. Extensive
research has been done on replacements and substitutes for microplastics that are
biodegradable and non toxic. One such found solution are chito-beads. This beats are
made out of a hard tissue component found in crustation waste. Because it is a natural
compound it is safe and biodegradable. Chito-beads are also fairly cheap to make, can
be colored, and are quite sturdy. They even potentially absorb toxic elements such as
heavy metals. Coming up with alternate solutions is imperative until scientists know
more about the true effects of microplastics on the environment and the human body.
Microplastics in the ocean are also becoming a prominent issue and it will be important
to look at trends in data in order to predict and track the presence of microplastics in the
environment, as well as impacts on species in different places throughout the ocean.
There are three main contributing sources to microplastics in the ocean, and they are
littering, landfill runoffs, and losses at sea. As levels of microplastics in the ocean
fluctuate, currents, salinity, and temperature should be considered to track the impacts
of the pollutants. It is estimated that the amount of plastic waste from costal countries
will increase 20 fold by 2025.

INCLUDE CONCLUSION THAT SUMMARIZES MAIN POINTS AND THESIS

CONCISELY