Kaileigh Kulp

WRIT 101
Public Argument Draft 1
11/4/21
Water bottles, toothpaste, phone cases, packages, cars, and toys; what do all these things

have in common? Plastic! Plastics are ubiquitous in our daily lives and their impacts on the

environment are beginning to become evident. Large pieces of plastic are not the only concern,

as plastic degrades into continuously smaller and smaller pieces microplastics are formed.

Microplastics are plastics that are smaller than 5mm in their smallest dimensions. Scientists are

beginning to uncover adverse effects of such plastics on both humans and the environment that

are concerning. Microplastics have already been confirmed inside the human body, in the air,

water, and even in remote areas such as the Alps. Microplastics are harmful to both the human

body and the environment around us and it is important to conduct more research to determine

the extent to which microplastics are harmful.

Parallels between particulate and air are a particularly concerning connection that

scientists have made recently as it means that there is a potential for a wide arrange of bodily

symptoms including potential for cancer. QUOTE HERE. Particulate pollution such as that

created by vehicles has been studied extensively and has been proven to cause adverse health

effects that may end up being similar to those of microplastics. This parallel means that

microplastics will be extraordinarily harmful to everyone and would lower life expectancies as

well as quality of life for millions of people.

Microplastics have also been found in baby poop! The last thing that new parents want is

to hear about the numerous ways in which their child may be in danger or at risk of any number

of health conditions; however, with microplastics in the picture it is very possible that babies are
harmed before they are even brought into the world. Microplastics have also been found in

placentas, QUOTE HERE and researchers are extraordinarily concerned about the impacts they

may have on developing babies as they are in such a vulnerable developmental stage.

Microplastics in the ocean are also introducing a unique consideration as there is so much

garbage in the ocean that has caused the formation of garbage patches. Experts have been

tracking the ways which climate change will change the formation, currents, locations, and

temperatures in relation to these garbage patches and warn that it is important to keep tabs on

such trends so that we can be proactive on the issue. Plastic garbage patches in the ocean are also

a concern as they mean that as the plastic degrades it will become microplastics that will only

increase in concentration as the plastics continue to degrade even further. These microplastics

will be present in our water sources and will even make their way into our food as fish will eat

them. QUOTE HERE.

Do you like the taste of plastic? Me either! Did you know that you are eating, drinking,

and even breathing in plastic pieces every day? As many as QUOTE HERE pieces! This is a lot

of plastic that begs the question of how safe this is for our bodies. With all of the places that

microplastic have been found in the world around each and every one of us it is difficult to argue

that they will not have adverse effects on our health and the health of the environment.

Something must be done to mitigate this issue before concentrations of microplastics reach a

critical point of no return.

While it still may be questionable what effects microplastics have on the human body and

the environment, they undoubtedly have some form of adverse effects that will be paramount to

change something about our daily lives before it is too late. Action is required in this subject and

microplastics are only one of the many types of pollutants that are concerning for the future.