Plastics are as convenient as they are ubiquitous, meaning they are everywhere. This is becoming a huge problem for our health as studies show that we breathe in and consume microplastics in quantities that can result in cell damage or cell death.
Beyond the damage to our environment, plastics damage our overall well-being. Yet, you will find plastics in food packaging, clothing, automobiles, bedding and mattresses, and so much more. It’s everywhere. As a society, we dispose of huge quantities of single-use plastics like water bottles and grocery bags.
How do microplastics get into our air and water?
Every time a plastic product becomes damaged in some way, it releases microparticles into our air. In the U.S., you will find clothing with synthetic plastic fibers that release microparticles when stretched. Car tires, brakes, and road surfaces contain plastics. Simply driving to run some errands causes plastics to be released into the air. Once in our air, the microparticles can remain in the atmosphere for around 6 days and travel thousands of miles. As consumers demand a disposable lifestyle, manufacturers produce more disposable products.
Microplastics trigger cell damage and cell death
Until recently, studies on plastics have focused on their effect on the environment and wildlife. The studies on the effects on humans have been inconsistent. Now, data on how plastic pollution and microplastics affect human health is producing evidence of the toxicity. Studies show an increase in inflammation and oxidative stress. Still, most studies have not examined the link between microplastic exposure and disease. More research is necessary.
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Hazardous Material found that microplastic substances damaged human cells in relation to the number of microparticles an individual ingested. This was the first study to show that microplastics trigger allergic reactions and cell death.
Evangelos Danopoulos from Hull York Medical School in the United Kingdom led the study, which was a meta-regression analysis of the toxicological impact that microplastics have on human cells. The researchers analyzed 17 studies, comparing the level of microplastics that cause cell damage and are consumed through water, seafood, and table salt. Danopoulos commented:
“Harmful effects on cells are in many cases the initiating event for health effects. We should be concerned. Right now, there isn’t really a way to protect ourselves. Once the plastic is in the environment, we can’t really get it out. It [research on plastics] is exploding and for good reason. We are exposed to these particles every day: we’re eating them, we’re inhaling them. And we don’t really know how they react with our bodies once they are in.”
The researchers looked at five biological endpoints including barrier attributes, oxidative stress, immune response, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity. Genotoxicity was the only biological endpoint that did not meet the measurements.
In addition, the researchers noted the irregular shape of the harmful microplastics in contrast to the spherical microplastics normally employed in laboratory experiments. This suggested that past laboratory research using such microplastics may have limited application in the real world.
The research team plans to conduct an animal study to examine the damage because a human study wouldn’t meet ethical demands.
Plastics that we ingest daily
Because of the widespread use of plastics around the world, most everyone has been exposed to and ingested microplastic particles. Studies have found microplastics on Mount Everest and in the Mariana Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean. Every ocean beach that has been tested has contained microplastic particles.
In 2017, The Guardian published results of an investigation by Orb Media, which revealed 83 percent of the samples of tap water collected from more than one dozen nations contained plastic fibers. The United States had the highest rate of contamination in this study.
Bottled water has a similar rate of microplastic contamination. Researchers with the department of chemistry at the State University of New York–Fredonia purchased 11 brands of bottled water from 19 locations in nine different countries. They found microplastic contamination in 93 percent of them.
The researchers wrote, “Plastics become microplastics become nano plastics, but they are all plastics, just of increasingly smaller size, allowing them to be more easily ingested and perhaps even cross the gastrointestinal tract to be transported throughout a living organism.”
Plastics in our water supply
A recent article by Sherri Mason, professor of chemistry at the State University of NY-Fredonia, has studied microplastics in the water supply. She commented:
“In 2017, we examined 159 samples of tap water collected from 14 different countries. Eighty-eight percent of these samples showed evidence of microplastic contamination, with an average of 5.5 particles per liter. Almost all (98%) of these particles were microfibers, which suggests that air is the primary source of contamination.”
One study by Mason published in the Guardian found that Americans may be ingesting 660 particles of plastic annually. Another study in National Geographic found that 90% of table salt contained microplastic particles. Takeout food containers are also a source of microplastic particles. One study published in 2020 found microplastics in different types of takeout containers, with the highest level found in those made of polystyrene.
Another potential harm comes from BPA, which is added to plastics to strengthen them. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) conducted months of testing that revealed even small clothing items for babies, children, and adults could contain BPA at levels 31 times higher than the limit placed by California environmental law. BPA is an endocrine disruptor that mimics human hormones and can be absorbed through the skin. Early life exposure can increase the risk of developing disease.
Plastic ingestion throughout your life
Even newborns face exposure to microplastic particles, which means that we all face exposure throughout our lifetimes. A study published in Nature Food in 2020 analyzed the release of microplastics from plastic baby bottles to which infants may be exposed while consuming formula.
John Boland from Trinity College Dublin led the research team. The study found that plastic baby bottles leaked a wide range of particles, from an average of 4 million up to 16 million plastic particles per liter.
Boland stated:
“We were surprised by the quantity. Based on research that has been done previously looking at the degradation of plastics in the environment, we had a suspicion that the quantities would be substantial, but I don’t think anyone expected the very high levels that we found.”
The researchers predicted that, globally, infants up to 12 months old may be exposed to 14,600 to 4.55 million microplastic particles a day, depending on region, which is higher than previously recognized due to the widespread usage of polypropylene baby bottles.
COVID-related medical waste increases amount of microplastics in environment
Pollution and single-use plastics are behind the epidemic of microplastics in the environment and our water supply. The problem grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic due to discarded gloves, masks, and various personal protective equipment (PPE).
Single-use medical plastic devices have increased the pressure to find solutions to a growing problem. One study found that over 8 million tons of plastic waste was produced in response to the pandemic, and over 25,000 tons have been dumped in the oceans. Approximately 75% of that waste was generated by hospitals.
We need more effective medical waste management worldwide to protect our environment and food supply. The study produced some interesting findings. Asia accounted for about 30% of all COVID-19 cases but produced about 72% of all plastic medical waste.
In addition, the study found higher levels of shipping materials in the oceans, which most likely came from higher rates of online shipping due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. This accounted for almost 5% of all waste that entered the environment since the start of the pandemic lockdowns.
DARPA pushes to transform military plastic waste into food
Could even more plastic end up in our food supply? Perhaps. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently gave Iowa State University a $2.7 million grant to develop a way to transform plastic and paper waste into edibles.
The purpose is to create food from this waste to feed the military men and women who defend our country and constitution. The objective is to improve military logistics for extended missions with “nourishment” from waste. They estimate total funding could reach $7.8 million before the project ends.
The process would convert plastic waste into fatty alcohols and fatty acids and paper into sugar that would then be processed by single-cell organisms into an edible mass that’s rich in protein and vitamins. In short, if the process works, microorganisms would convert the endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastic to vitamins and proteins.
DARPA also awarded Michigan Tech researchers $7.2 million to turn plastic waste into protein powder and lubricants. The research firm, Battelle, announced in February 2021 that DARPA had awarded an undisclosed amount to create a process that “quickly convert[s] energy-dense waste into a useful substance to support expeditionary operations and stabilization missions.” DARPA wants to turn plastics that leach hazardous chemicals, which researchers have found threaten human health, into foodstuff for the U.S. military.
This is not surprising in our world, which is placing an increased value on synthetically produced foods rather than natural, organic real food. Plastic food for all may soon be a reality.