Bizzell 1

Jacob Bizzell

Tamera Davis

Composition II

12 November 2023

Microplastics in The Food Industry/Ecosystem

Microplastics are in almost everything we consume nowadays. With plastic being one of

the easiest and cheapest materials to mass produce; we use it in everything. Is this a benefit or

detriment to the world? Microplastics and their effects have recently begun to be discussed more

since the production explosion of plastic in the 1950s. There has not been enough time to show

exactly the harm they can cause, but the implications based on our information are not good.

Microplastics warrant further research into what they are, how they impact our food, and the

threat they pose to our ecosystems.

plastics take a considerable amount of time to break down. Even with recycling being

promoted in America and across the world, we heavily struggle with our waste problems.

Because of this plastics can remain untreated for decades and break down into microplastics.

“Microplastics are generally defined as small plastic pieces smaller than 5 mm in diameter and

can be primary or secondary”(De-la-Torre). Because microplastics are less than 5mm in

diameter they are almost completely undetectable, especially to the human eye. This makes it

impossible to track or dispose of microplastics efficiently. It just so happens that microplastics

can act as a sponge, being absorbent to multiple different chemicals and components, leading to

a vast array of harmful toxins(De-la-Torre). Many of these affect multiple body systems and

can be carcinogenic. These toxins can stay in the body your whole life leading to permanent

damage, and it can happen with the host not knowing.

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Microplastics are found in food, water, plants, and animals. They contaminate our natural

resources and leach into our food supply through drinking water and produce. “These tiny

particles are often small enough to make it through water filtration systems. From here they can

end up in the ocean and other water systems”(Myers) Most microplastics are small enough to

enter into the bloodstream of many animals. They stay there and are passed on to the consumer

of the infected animal.

While the long-term effects of microplastics are unknown, it is important to realize that in

most cases microplastics carry additional pollutants with them. Microplastics are rarely clean,

and most will carry contaminants known to adversely affect your hormonal and digestive

systems. These contaminants may also affect reproductive systems and fetuses(Pinto-

Rodrigues). By consuming affected animals, the toxins transfer and harm our bodies.

Microplastics find their way into our body in several ways, from the water we drink to the food

we eat and even just breathing air. Microplastics not only can be found in animals but in plants

as well. Specifically “microplastics in soil could significantly alter plant biomass, tissue

elemental composition, root traits, and microbial activities”(De-la-Torre). Seeing how

microplastics are found in all our consumables, there is no real way of avoiding ingesting them.

If there comes a day when we have proof that microplastics do pose a real threat, we will have to

face the fact that every one of us will already have it in our body.

Microplastics have been found in just about every corner of this earth, hurting wildlife

and infecting drinking water. The leading factor of microplastic getting into our bodies is

through breathing, something we must do to survive, drinking water, and consuming

fish/shellfish. Microplastics can cause direct harm to the gastrointestinal tract (De-la-Torre).

With advancing technology, microplastics have been located in the air we breathe as well as
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parts of this earth that are uninhabited by humans, there is not a part of this earth that is not

infected by microplastics. This has rapidly increased since the boom of plastic production.

“Plastic production increased from 2 million metric tons a year in 1950 to 380 million metric

tons by 2015 and is expected to double by 2050.”(Gross). Therefore, we have a huge problem on

our hands with the current way of handling waste. You can plainly see just how much buildup

we’ve accumulated in such a short time. A common solution we see across the world is to just

pile up are trash to the point where it overruns entire cities, but what else can we do? If theories

become fact, and microplastics do show a negative effect on organisms then to what extent will

wildlife and the food chain be altered? “Some 15 million metric tons of plastic enters the oceans

every year, choking marine mammals, invading the guts of fish and seabirds, and posing

unknown risks to the animals, and people, who eat them”(Gross). As Gross stated, these plastics

affect much more than just humans and pose a greater threat to our wildlife than most people

realize. Considering what we do know, the damage may be irreversible if a reasonable way to

treat plastics and contain microplastics isn’t found.

Some believe that a plastic-free world would be the best-case scenario, but would it?

Opposing scientists argue that getting rid of plastic as a whole would be detrimental to the

ecosystem and daily human life. With plastics being embedded in everyday life it would take a

considerable amount of effort and funding to make a change. Plastics are used in a multitude of

different innovations from large objects and small, simple, and intricate. Plastics are a major

component of vehicles and tech, and make many tools more economical (Logomasini). There is

no clear substitute for plastic when it comes to being able to be used for just about anything as

well as being dirt cheap, Plastic is a necessity in the medical field being used for machines or

something as simple as a syringe.

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Plastic is one of the cheapest materials in manufacturing and can be used to make just

about anything. For this reason, plastic products are marketed much cheaper than products that

use materials like wood or metal. The convenience and low cost make plastic products ideal for

low-income areas. This is especially seen in third-world countries where simple plastic vessels

for transporting water can improve a person's quality of life(Logomasini). Having access to

affordable goods that range from furniture to cutlery not only improves daily living, but sanitary

as well. Another benefit to people is plastic is used for sanitary purposes in food packaging and

storage too, which can prevent infection and increase shelf life for food. Plastic is a major

industry for a reason and is indispensable to some parts of our society, so it is important to see

the whole picture and realize that the issue is more complex than just getting rid of all plastic or

not doing anything.

With technology advancing and attention increasing around microplastics in recent years

there is hope that we can find out the exact harms microplastics pose to human health as well as

the ecosystem. Hopefully, this paper has brought insight into what microplastics are in the first

place, also raising awareness of how microplastics enter our bodies and food. There has been a

significant increase in research and funding going towards microplastics with the goal of figuring

out extensive knowledge about the subject as well as a possible substitute and solution to plastics

or a more efficient way of disposing of them.

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Work Cited

De-la-Torre, Gabriel Enrique. “Microplastics: An Emerging Threat to Food Security and Human
Health.” Journal of Food Science and Technology, U.S. National Library of Medicine,
May 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7171031/

This article did a great job of explaining things in such a way that it was like explaining to
someone what plastic is in general for the first time. It mainly talks about the presence of
plastics in the food we consume. Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre is the author's name and lives in
Prue. Torre has written multiple articles about health and safety

Logomasini, Angela. “The Immeasurable Benefits of Plastics to Humanity.” Competitive

Enterprise Institute, 14 Sep. 2021, cei.org/studies/the-immeasurable-benefits-of-plastics-
to-humanity/.

This article had many good points for the opposing side of the argument and explained
them clearly. The article had the author and page information displayed. The author is
Angela Logomasini and the article was published on 09/10/2021. As it was an opinion
piece it had slight bias but did a good job of stating the information in a professional way.

Myers, Joe. “Microplastics in the Food Chain: How Harmful Are They?” The Agenda Weekly,
World Economic Forum, 29 June 2022, www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/how-
microplastics-get-into-the-food-chain/.

This article covers a lot of detail about microplastics with facts and statistics. The ocean is a
recurring topic in all my articles. I learned how big of an effect it is having on wildlife there for
affecting us. Also talks about whether plastics are harmful to us as well as the food chain as a
whole. Joe Myers is an active writer for the World Economic Forum writing, which was
available to read in October of 2023. This is a known journal so I believe that their research and
authors have good morals and ethics behind their writings.

Pinto-Rodrigues, Anne. “Microplastics Are in Our Bodies. Here’s Why We Don’t Know the
Health Risks.” Science News, 10 Apr. 2023, www.sciencenews.org/article/microplastics-
human-bodies-health-risks.
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Outline

I. Intro Paragraph

A. Hook: Microplastics are in almost everything we consume nowadays, with plastic being one

of the easiest and cheapest materials to mass produce. We use it in everything, but what can we

do to avoid it?

B. Introduction topic: Microplastics and their effects have recently begun to be discussed more

since the production explosion of plastic in the 1950s.

C. Thesis: Plastics although very cost-efficient and useful in different possibilities, are beginning

to notice more and more harmful effects on the human body and ecosystems, i cannot give a

perfect alternative for plastic but I believe that with us gaining more knowledge on the subject

that we can teach how to avoid harmful plastic into our body and eat more natural foods.

II. Body

A. Main idea #1: plastics take a considerable amount of time to break down and even with

recycling being a thing we in America and across the world heavily struggle with our waste

problems.

1. Sub-point #1:What are micro plastics?

a. Evidence: Facts about Microplastics, “Plastics are synthetic organic polymers created by the

process of polymerization of monomers extracted from

hydrocarbons”(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7171031/)
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Scientists have admitted to there being gaps in knowledge about microplastics in foods but have

learned that one of the main causes is oceans, sea life has seen a significant increase in plastic

tracings we can also take in microplastics just from breathing or skin contact.

b. Follow-up: Discuss solutions about what can be done to limit plastics in the body and

environment.

2. Sub-point #2: How do microplastics find their way into the food chain? All

a. Evidence: Give quoted facts from “The World Economic Forum '' talking about how there are

microplastics in the far corners of this earth even in parts untouched by humans and “if you eat

muscles you eat microplastics.”

b. Follow-up: Give additional facts about what's being done to help. Whether it's a water filter

good enough to remove plastics or a tiny fish that eats them.

3. Sub-point #3: Are plastics really as harmful to the body as it’s being made to seem?

a. Evidence: Fact from Perch Energy about things we can do to limit microplastic pollution and

overall consumption in daily life.

b. Follow-up: Discussing single-use plastics

III. Body 2

A. Main idea #2: Microplastics show little evidence of harm to the human body.

1. Sub-point #1: Why have microplastics been so little researched?

a. Evidence: Use a paraphrase of Joe Rogan's podcast of him talking about how easily found

microplastics are in everything as well as how the damage are overall reproductive system over

time makes us weaker (00:00:00-00:00:00:27)

b. Follow-up: Discuss how the amount of plastic in our body on a day-to-day basis is enough to

make a credit card daily

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2. Sub-point #2: Is there any reason to be worried or is it just something we have to deal with

now?

a. Evidence: Use evidence from “science news.org” about the certain chemicals we are mainly

worried about with little things in everyday life causing you to consume microplastics you aren't

aware of, microwaving plastic is a big one as well as

b. Follow-up: Discussion how even though there is little evidence to harm we do have a very

good idea of what and why microplastics are lowering sperm and testosterone levels drastically.

3. Sub-point #3: How much worse can it get before a real solution is found?

a. Evidence: Use sciencenews.org to discuss the harms and dangers we already know of.

b. Follow-up: Discuss how the longer we let this continue without a change the worse it will

become. I've only really talked about the effects we know for sure not the effects we don’t.

I. Body 3

A. Main idea #3: this is more a personal theory than a researched one but the idea that it wasn't

the government's initial option but a discreet way of making us weaker starting with the men and

lowering testosterone levels in hopes of making us more docile and obedient

1. Sub-point #1: People do not realize that 75 percent of the time they're injecting plastics even

when just breathing.

a. Evidence: Use facts from natural science to show how much chemicals and plastic are in

everyday produce that people look to buy to be healthier alternatives and have not a clue in their

mind how much plastic is on a single apple to keep it preserved longer.

b: Follow-up: Discuss study results – when people learn about microplastic it normally blows

their mind because it’s something we don’t think of every day most people try and focus on what

they eat not even realizing they are injecting tons of plastics into a daily
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2. Sub-point #2: Educating ourselves and others about MIcro plastics

a. Evidence: by educating ourselves we can raise more awareness and reason for micros to be

studied and find solutions.

b. Follow-up: teaching people simple ways to avoid plastics in their bodies may or may not help

even if people know the dangers they still will continue to do what they've always done but

hopefully relaxing how many different ways we intake and are affected by will make people

want to be healthier.

3. Sub-point #3: We can help by educating and limiting the amount of plastics we use for

literally everything.

a. Evidence: Use a paraphrase from the National Library of Medicine about how “human

exposure to microplastics through the ingestion of contaminated food is inevitable and poses a

risk to food security and human health.”

b. Follow-up: Learning more about microplastic can reverse the effects we are seeing. Hopefully

one day we find an alternative to plastics or find a way to where they are safer. We can do so

much already just by educating people on what foods to eat and how to prepare them to get rid of

as much plastics as possible.

IIIIII. Conclusion

With technology advancing and attention increasing around microplastics in recent years there is
hope that we can find out the exact harms microplastics pose to human health as well as the
ecosystem. Hopefully, this paper has brought insight into what microplastics are in the first
place, also raising awareness of how microplastics enter our bodies and food. There has been a
significant increase in research and funding going towards microplastics with the goal of figuring
out extensive knowledge about the subject as well as a possible substitute and solution to plastics
or a more efficient way of disposing of them.
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Works Cited

Annotated Bibliography

Gross, Liza, and Judith Enck. “Confronting Plastic Pollution to Protect Environmental
and Public Health.” PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science,
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001131 Accessed
26 Oct. 2023.
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This article is about microplastics and the dangers of them. This article mainly focuses on
plastics getting into the ocean through waste and pollution. The two authors of this article
are Liza Gross and Judith Enck. Liza Gross is a current employee of the Public Library of
Science, she lives in San Francisco California, Judith attended Bennington College and
lives in Vermont. This article has been available since March 30, 2021. It shows that 23
people have shared this piece, 63 have saved it and 9,819 people have viewed it; POLS is a
nonprofit. There is excellent organization in this article, there are correctly sourced words
handled ethically. There is a bias against plastics and how we dispose of them. This is a
reliable source that has benefited me, I learned information that I did not know before and
most of the time a .org website is good for research.

De-la-Torre, Gabriel Enrique. “Microplastics: An Emerging Threat to Food Security and

Human Health.” Journal of Food Science and Technology, U.S. National Library of
Medicine, May 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7171031/

This article did a great job of explaining things in such a way that it was like explaining
to someone what plastic is in general for the first time. It mainly talks about the presence
of plastics in the food we consume. Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre is the author's name and
lives in Prue. Torre has written multiple articles about health and safety and several
articles about plastic and its harms. This source has been available since May of 2020, I
believe there is a group of people who would read these articles they are written well and
are easy to understand. There was more source work in this piece than in another and is
very well organized with links throughout the paper showing exactly where this
information was provided.

Myers, Joe. “Microplastics in the Food Chain: How Harmful Are They?” The Agenda
Weekly, World Economic Forum, 29 June 2022,
www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/how-microplastics-get-into-the-food-chain/.

This article covers a lot of detail about microplastics with facts and statistics. The ocean
is a recurring topic in all my articles. I learned how big of an effect it is having on
wildlife there for affecting us. Also talks about if plastics are harmful to us as well as the
food chain as a whole. Joe Myers is an active writer for the World Economic Forum
writing, which was available to read in October of 2023. This is a known journal so I
believe that their research and authors have good morals and ethics behind their writings.

“Easy Ways to Reduce Microplastic Pollution & Consumption in Your Daily Life.” 9
Ways To Reduce Your Microplastic Pollution & Consumption | Perch Energy,
www.perchenergy.com/blog/lifestyle/reduce-microplastic-pollution-consumption.
Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.
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“Human Blood Contaminated with Microplastics - Joe Rogan Podcast.” YouTube,

YouTube, 26 Sep. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?
v=f4JYffsc1aU&ab_channel=EnlightenedView.

This video briefly talks about microplastics and their negatives, Joe shares his reaction to
finding out about the quantity of microplastics ingested yearly let alone weekly. Even
with this being a small source a single clip shows how even a top entertainer who talks
about major events daily had just found out about microplastic and the potential
correlation to humans especially men growing weaker with time in a physical sense and
reproductive. I think this source was good for my paper to show a normal human reaction
to what microplastics are and what they can do, Joe Rogan is the largest podcast in the
world with more constant listeners than any other platform so I think that small clip
brought attention to microplastics and the potential and already known negatives.

Pinto-Rodrigues, Anne. “Microplastics Are in Our Bodies. Here’s Why We Don’t Know the
Health Risks.” Science News, 10 Apr. 2023, www.sciencenews.org/article/microplastics-human-
bodies-health-risks.

This article dives into microplastics in our bloodstream with a lot of good information and facts.
I liked that this site had graphs going along with the information to visually show to the reader. I
continue to go into detail about almost everything my paper covers environmental issues and
explaining how microplastic can be breathed in and the health risk we do know to be fact. I can't
stress enough how much the charts and graphs bring to the article with every section there is a
clear picture showing exactly what is going so even if you did understand you can see in more
depth, that there are a list of exacts and good source work showing exactly where this article got
its information from. For all the reasons listed above, I believe this activity to have been very
helpful to me and writing this paper with trusting information to use.

Logomasini, Angela. “The Immeasurable Benefits of Plastics to Humanity.” Competitive

Enterprise Institute, 14 Sep. 2021, cei.org/studies/the-immeasurable-benefits-of-plastics-
to-humanity/.
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