Scientists have begun to expose a global horror horror: microplastic pollution. Tiny pieces of plastic appear in incredible places, including Arctic ice. The particles are carried away by the air, so we breathe, eat and drink microplastics.
The consequences for human health are potentially enormous. The problem is that little is known about how microplastics affect the human body. This makes it difficult for the World Health Organization, which issued one yesterday detailed report on the status of microplastics in drinking water.
The conclusion: Because research is still limited and is now just beginning, there is no indication that the consumption of microplastics is a threat to human health.
Bruce Gordon, who helped write the report as WHO coordinator, says: “We know from data that we consume microplastics and this causes concern for consumers. The main message is to reassure drinking water consumers around the world since our assessment of the risk is that it is low."
The report urges the scientific community to further study the potential impact of microplastics on human health, and directly. And he calls on people to resist the scourge of plastic pollution, because humans have poisoned with microplastics even the most remote areas of this planet. They rotate deep in the ocean currents and appear in the seafood we eat. The permeability of tiny plastic objects is frightening and there is no way to stop them.
Humans are producing a staggering amount of plastic, about 400 million tonnes in 2015, and production is expected to double by 2025. It is estimated that 8 million tonnes enter the ocean each year, but researchers estimate that this represents only 1%. The rest have apparently disappeared.
Microplastics enter drinking water in a number of ways. Some of them are transported into the atmosphere as dust and land in fresh water sources, such as reservoirs, etc. But even plastic garbage that enters water sources breaks down over time into smaller pieces and eventually into microparticles. The textiles productsuch as elastic gym pants (yoga, etc.) release microplastic fibers when washed.
According to the report, drinking water companies, of course, deal with pollution before it is distributed to customers, which removes most of the microplastics. However, it also warns that in the developing world people do not always have access to this type of water treatment. Also, treatment equipment made of plastic can contribute microparticles to the water supply.
At this early stage of research, the number of studies is small and the researchers have not yet decided on the methodologies to follow. The nine individual studies cited in the WHO report reflect a patchwork of research so far. Some tested bottled water, others spring water, etc. Some filtered the water samples down to the microparticle level, while others looked for particles 100 times larger than that. Some specify the types of plastics they found, others did not. It is not surprising that the level contaminations they report ranges from zero to thousands of particles per liter. The bottom line is that the findings are almost impossible to compare.
The WHO report notes that most microplastic particles seem to pass safely through the human intestine. But we need more research on how the size of the particles affects their passage, or whether the Web of the intestine can absorb the smaller ones.
This is a very unknown field for microplastics, and the WHO emphasizes that when it comes to drinking water, we should be concerned.
Meanwhile, people around the world will continue to drink and eat and breathe microplastics, while scientists are still trying to better understand the potential effects on human health. We now live on a plastic planet and we must prepare for the report.
