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 draft the report as WHO coordinator, said: "We know from the data that we consume microplastics and this is a cause for concern for consumers. "The central message is to reassure drinking water consumers around the world that our risk assessment 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.
Plastic microparticles enter drinking water in a variety of ways. Some of them are transported to the atmosphere like dust and land in freshwater sources, such as tanks, etc. But also the plastic garbage that enters the water sources breaks down over time into smaller pieces and eventually into microparticles. Textiles, such as elastic fitness pants (yoga, etc.) eliminate microplastic fibers by washing them.
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 researchers have not yet resolved the methodologies to follow. The nine separate studies reported in the WHO report reflect a scattered survey to date. Some examined bottled water, others spring water, etc. Some filtered water samples at the microparticle level, while others looked for particles 100 times larger than them. Some determine the types of plastics they found, others did not. Not surprisingly, the level of contamination they report ranges from zero to thousands of particles per liter. The conclusion 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 particle size affects their passage, or whether gut tissue can absorb 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.
