Microplastics: The New Poison to the Human Body

By Flynn Demapendan

     Scientists, in multiple instances, have discovered microplastics in the human body. Their discovery is the latest in a number of studies, which found that microplastic particles that are no bigger than a grain of sand are in the majority of the population’s bodies. 

     Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters, which are made through the breakdown and disintegration of plastic products, such as plastic bottles, food packaging, etc. As the plastic products are disposed of, the microplastics find their way into human sources, such as water. 

     Researchers from the University of New Mexico have found particles of microplastic in multiple human test subjects. In their study of 70 participants, they found that the particles ended up in the human body through polluted food, water, and air. 

     “They are launched into the atmosphere as bubbles continuing from plastic burst at the ocean’s surface,” said researchers at Princeton. 

     People take in microplastics in many other direct ways; the most common way is through food. Thousands of tons of microplastics have found their way into farmland and absorbed themselves into crops. According to research from Italian researchers, plastics have been found in fish that are for human consumption and containers. 

     In a study that was programmed by the World Wildlife Fund, it was suggested that the average person ingests about 5 grams of plastic every week, which is concluded to be the weight of a credit card. Another study shows that the average person consumes at least 50,000 particles of microplastic a year.

    Researchers in the Netherlands found microplastics in the human blood for the first time in 2022. In the research conducted, scientists found particles in almost 80% of their test subjects. 

     The impact of microplastics on the human body and its health are still unknown to many researchers, but the studies have linked the particles to a higher risk of lung cancer, metabolism disorders, weight gain, and many other instances that decrease health.