Microplastics and living organisms in a sample of water collected off the coast of Hawaii.

Photograph by
DAVID LIITSCHWAGER

Microplastics: A Health Concern

Scientists have recently uncovered more evidence that microplastics are more of a
concern than previously thought.

By Kaileigh Kulp

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 6, 2021 – 10 MIN READ

 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 continue to be formed. Microplastics are defined as plastics that

are smaller than 5mm in their smallest dimension. Recently scientists have uncovered

evidence of adverse effects of such plastics on both humans and the environment.

Microplastics have even already been confirmed inside the human body, in the air,

water, food, and even in remote areas such as the Alps or the Arctic. Microplastics are

harmful to both the human body and the environment, thus it is important to be aware of

and determine the extent to which microplastics are harmful and consider possible

solutions.

Parallels between particulate pollution and microplastics are a particularly

concerning connection that scientists have made recently as it means that there is

potential for a wide arrange of bodily symptoms including cancer. Particulate pollution

such as that created by vehicles has been studied extensively and proven to cause

adverse health effects that may end up being similar to those of microplastics.

Researchers Dick Vethaak and Juliette Legler state, “Small particles (<2.5 µm), such as

those from diesel exhaust, are capable of crossing cell membranes and triggering

oxidative stress and inflammation and have been linked with increased risk of death

from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases or lung cancer.” This parallel means that

microplastics are extraordinarily harmful and will lower life expectancies as well as

quality of life for millions of people as their environmental concentrations increase. It will
be paramount in coming years to continue to research both particulate and microplastic

pollution to be aware of the impacts on our bodies.

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

want is to hear about are 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 subject to dangerous conditions before they are even

brought into the world. Microplastics have been found inside placentas of healthy

pregnancies, and researchers are extraordinarily concerned about the impacts they may

have on developing babies. One researcher, Kurunthachalam Kannan even said, “I

strongly believe that these chemicals do affect early life stages … That’s a vulnerable

period.” Microplastics are also believed to be endocrine disruptors, meaning that they

may increase or decrease natural hormone levels within the body as it develops.

Disruptions to these vital hormones can cause an array of developmental issues that

are of utmost concern to researchers and parents. Implications of microplastics however

don’t stop within the human body as they extend to the environment as well.

Microplastics in the ocean are introducing a unique environmental consideration.

There is so much garbage in the ocean that formation of garbage patches has occurred.

Experts have been tracking the ways which climate change will change the currents,

locations, and water 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 changing

issue. Plastic garbage patches in the ocean are also a concern as that plastic degrades

it will become microplastics that will only increase in concentration as the plastics

continue to degrade even further and new plastics are added. These microplastics will
continue to be present in our water sources and have even made their way into our food

as fish and other marine life eat them.

We are eating, drinking, and even breathing in plastic pieces every day. As many

as 74,000 particles every year and this number may be even higher if you drink water

from plastic bottles! This multitude of plastic begs the question of safety for our bodies.

With all the places that microplastic have been found in the world around each 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. While it may still be questionable

what exact effects microplastics have on the human body and the environment, they

undoubtedly have adverse effects to some degree. Action is required, and microplastics

are only one of the many types of pollutants that are threatening the future. Initiatives to

clean the ocean, reduce single-use plastic use, and being mindful of the products you
are buying are all ways which we can look out for our health as well as the health of

future generations and the planet.

Citations -

Frishberg, Hannah. (2021, September 24). Alarming new study finds tons of
microplastics in baby poop. New York Post. Accessed October 12, 2021,
from https://nypost.com/2021/09/24/alarming-new-study-finds-tons-of-
microplastics-in-baby-poop/.

Gibbens, S. (2021, May 3). The average person eats thousands of plastic particles
every year, study finds. Environment. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/you-eat-thousands-of-
bits-of-plastic-every-year.

Microplastics in food and water – are they harmful to human health? Eufic. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://www.eufic.org/en/food-
safety/article/microplastics-in-food-and-water-are-they-harmful-to-human-health.

Vethaak, A.Dick, and Juliette Legler. “Microplastics and Human Health: Knowledge
Gaps Should Be Addressed to Ascertain the Health Risks of
Microplastics.” Science Advances, vol. 7, no. 7, Feb. 2021, pp. 672–
674. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1126/science.abe5041. Accessed 5 Oct. 2021.