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 it, reports reportς ως συντονιστής του ΠΟΥ: "Γνωρίζουμε από τα δεδομένα ότι καταναλώνουμε μικροπλαστικά και αυτό προκαλεί ανησυχία στους καταναλωτές. Το κεντρικό μήνυμα είναι να καθησυχάσουμε τους καταναλωτές πόσιμου νερού σε όλο τον κόσμο αφού η εκτίμησή μας για τον κίνδυνο, είναι ότι αυτός είναι χαμηλός".
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.
The small particles of plastic go into drinking water in various 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. Textile products, such as elastic gym pants (yoga etc) shed microplastic fibers when washed.
Σύμφωνα με τη έκθεση, οι εταιρείες πόσιμου νερού, βεβαίως και αντιμετωπίζουν την ρύπανση, πριν αυτό διανεμηθεί στους πελάτες, γεγονός που απομακρύνει το μεγαλύτερο μέρος του μικροπλαστικών. Ωστόσο, προειδοποιεί επίσης ότι στον αναπτυσσόμενο κόσμο οι άνθρωποι δεν έχουν πάντα πρόσβαση σε αυτό το είδος επεξεργασίας νερού. Επίσης, ο latest technology equipmentof treatment that is made of plastic can contribute micro particles 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.
