Plastics are used all over the world. Unfortunately, due to limited biodegradation, plastics cause a significant level of environmental pollution. The smallest recognised to date are termed nanoplastics and microplastics, which can enter the human body through the respiratory system via inhalation, the digestive tract via consumption of contaminated food and water, or penetration through the skin via cosmetics and clothes contact - bioaccumulation of plastics in the human body can potentially lead to a range of health issues.

16 October 2024

ALAN HAYES

 

PLASTIC pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people's livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being. It is quickly becoming a waste material that takes too long to decompose – up to 1000 years to breakdown in landfills, breaking up into microscopic pieces, but it will never decompose. Plastic bags we use in our everyday life take 10-20 years to breakdown, while plastic bottles take 450 years.

 

Every piece of plastic that’s ever been made still exists today!

 

Nano- and microplastics and your health

 

When plastics break down, they release nano- and microplastics and when they enter the body, their bioaccumulation can potentially lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory disorders like lung cancer, asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, neurological symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness, cardio-vascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease and even disturbances in gut microbiota.

 

Most studies to date have confirmed that nano- and microplastics can induce apoptosis in cells and have genotoxic and cytotoxic effects.

 

The problem is that the world of plastics, or polymers, is extensive and their interaction with human cells may help extrapolate the risks to humans.

 

Recent studies and laboratory experiments, however, suggest that that chemicals present as additives in nano- and microplastics can leach into human sweat, and then be absorbed through the skin, into the bloodstream. These experiments also suggest that nano- and microplastics increase brain inflammation and cell damage, alter gene expression and change brain structure. Aside from the effects of the nano- and microplastic particles themselves, nano- and microplastics might also pose risks if they carry environmental toxins or bacteria into and around the body. Once in the body, these chemicals could increase the risk of disease, including cancer.

 

Nano- and microplastic contaminants come in three not-so-delicious forms:

 

• Physical particles;

 

• Chemical leaching; and

 

• Biofilms

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), these minuscule particles may pose a threat because they can move into the organs, tissues, and even the cells of the body.

 

Nano- and microplastics can also absorb heavy metals, which may be transported into the digestive system when consumed. On top of that, not all of the nano- and microplastic you consume leaves the body. Approximately 10% remains inside you long-term.

 

Biofilms are one of the most dangerous types of nano- and microplastic contaminants — they are microorganisms that attach to and colonise microplastics.

 

Worst of all, biofilms may spread bacteria like legionella on the surface of nano- and microplastics. This bacteria causes a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires' disease. Although it’s treatable, it can still be extremely dangerous.

 

This disease is typically spread through the inhalation of water droplets containing the bacteria. However, it can also be spread through drinking water if droplets enter the lungs while drinking. However, you can remove harmful microplastics by installing the right water filter in your home – even a simple coffee filter will do the trick.

 

What types of toxic chemicals do microplastics carry?

 

The issue with microplastics is that, like all plastics, they do not easily degrade into harmless molecules – leaching into our waterways and ending up in our drinking water.

 

Bisphenol A (BPA), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), and phthalates are leachable chemicals found in plastic. These chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors (EDCs) and they disrupt human hormonal systems once they enter the body.

 

BPA is probably the most-known chemical and is a typical food and beverage additive, easily leaching into the food we eat. It, just like the other chemicals, competes with our cellular receptors, causing hormonal imbalances – leading to obesity, diabetes, and even early puberty.

 

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are another type of leachable chemical that is applied to healthcare products to improve their safety and make them fire-resistant. BFRs can bioaccumulate in the body and transfer to babies in women's breast milk. Once inside the body, BFRs disrupt the hormonal cycle.

 

Nanoplastics, PFAS and PET

 

Microplastics are small plastic pieces, less than 5 millimetres in size, but what about other plastic contaminants like nanoplastics, PFAS, and PET?

 

Nanoplastics are particles much smaller than microplastics. They are smaller than one micrometre (1000 nanometres) or even 0.1 micrometre (100 nanometres). If you can’t imagine how small that is, think a hundred thousand times smaller than one millimetre!

 

The smallest of these nanoplastics can even pass through cell walls.

 

Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

 

PFAS are chemicals that do not occur naturally in the environment. They are man-made and non-biodegradable and, worst of all, they have toxic properties that are hazardous to your health.

 

Reverse osmosis is the best way to reliably remove PFAS from water. Unfortunately, many drinking water authorities in Australia, as recently reported by the Grapevine, do not use a method of filtering in line with WHO guidelines.

 

The good news is you can install a high quality reverse osmosis filter in your home that will remove any traces of PFAS!

 

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

 

PET is most commonly associated with plastic bottles but can also be found in other food packaging and kitchen utensils. This means that PET is present in your kitchen and, as a result, in your drinking water.

 

A serious danger

 

There is no getting around it …microplastics are in your drinking water, whether you get it from the tap or a bottle, and they’re a serious threat to the environment.

 

Every time you wash anything — literally anything — made of acrylic, nylon, polyester, Lycra, or any other petroleum-based fibre, microfibre plastics are released into the environment. They may be tiny, but their pollution is a major issue.

 

Since plastics are inexpensive and simple to produce, many of them are discarded. More than 300 million tons of plastic have been produced to date, with most of it being burned, or dumped in landfills and the sea.

 

When toxic chemicals are burned, they are released into the air, damaging the air quality. Chemicals from discarded plastics leach into the soil and underground bodies of water.

 

All of this pollutes the environment because plants absorb the chemicals and microplastics.

 

Herbivores consume these chemical-laden plants, which are then consumed by carnivores. That’s how microplastics gradually permeate all levels of the food chain!

 

Microplastics and chemicals are also consumed by marine organisms such as fish.

 

Phthalates, a harmful chemical, which is found in many plastics, bioaccumulates in marine life and, as well, can contaminate the water supply – increasing human exposure. Excessive phthalate exposure, for example, can result in male infertility.

 

Is there a solution?

 

Most human's have travelled too far down the road to be convinced to do an immediate ‘U-turn’ into a plastic-free world! Why? Because it is such a good material!Despite

 

A world without plastic would mean your sport’s wear, underwear, and makeup would be gone. Cars, buses, planes, trains, mobile phones, laptops, computers, credit cards, and cash would be gone – waterpipes and drainpipes would disappear.

 

Despite their everyday use, plastics are a major contributor to climate change! Not surprisingly, London and Beijing have several thousand plastic particles per cubic metre polluting the air that they breathe - the largest concentrations of microplastics than anywhere else currently in the atmosphere.

 

Microplastics can also transport a variety of contaminants, including potentially hazardous organic chemicals and trace metals! Once in the body, these chemicals can increase the risk of disease, including cancer. Even tap water can be contaminated with microplastics and is found in tap water all over the world. These particles run down the kitchen sink, shower drain, and washing machine, then eventually make their way to water treatment plants. The issue is that many water treatment facilities don’t remove all the microplastics from the water. They can only remove dissolved substances, like nitrogen and phosphates, and leave behind a plethora of unhealthy particles for you to ingest whenever you drink a glass of water.

 

But we can aim for a future without plastic waste and pollution. A future that doesn’t see our beaches being littered, marine life choked, communities poisoned at the fence line of petrochemical facilities, nano- and microplastics leaching into our food and water supplies, and ending up in our bodies.

 

Yet even if human populations worldwide change their plastic-using ways, the damage may already have been done. The ‘Plastic Age’ is already upon us and might soon take its place next to the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in the history of human civilisation.

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