Microplastics in human blood detected by group of researchers in the Netherlands.
What is the news :
- Tiny particles of plastic, called microplastic – a major source of pollution – have been detected in the human blood for the first time.
- It was detected in nearly 80 per cent of samples tested by a group of researchers from the
- The discovery is extremely significant as it shows that microplastic can travel around the body and may lodge in organs.
- Though the scientists are not yet aware of the long term impact of these particles on health, but are concerned due to already rising pollution levels across the globe.
- Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic less than 0.2 of an inch (5mm) in diametre.
What researchers found :
- The researchers analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors and found microplastic in 17 of them, according to the research published in the journal Environment International.
- Half of these samples had PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), which is used to make drinks bottles. Polystyrene, widely used in food packaging, was found in 36 per cent and polyethylene, used in packaging films and bags, was found in 23 per cent of samples, according to the research.
- The levels are low – 1.6 micrograms (1.6 millionths of a gram) in every millilitre of blood – but are enough to raise an alarm.
Microplastics impact on health :
- The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs.
- The impact on health is as yet unknown.
- But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.
- Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans.
- People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in, and they have been found in the faeces of babies and adults.
Reducing microplastics pollution:
- Between 1950 and 2015, some 6,300 million metric tons of plastic waste were generated.
- The majority of this waste, about 4,900 million metric tons, ended up in landfills and the environment.
- On the basis of trends from that period, researchers estimated that by 2050 the amount of plastic waste in landfills and the environment would reach 12,000 million metric tons. Nonetheless, the potential dangers of escalating plastics pollution, especially pollution from microplastics, remained largely ignored by governments and policy makers.
- To help overcome this obstacle, organizations such as the United Nations Expert Panel of the United Nations Environmental Programme engaged more than 100 countries in educational campaigns aimed at raising awareness of plastics pollution and encouraging reuse and recycling of plastics. Other international cooperative programs were established to address marine wastes, including microplastics pollution.
- In 2015 the United States passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act, which prohibits the manufacture and distribution of rinse-off cosmetics products that contain plastic microbeads. Many other countries also placed bans on microbeads.
- Remediation of microplastics already in the environment is another key component of reducing microplastics pollution. Strategies under investigation included the use of microorganisms capable of breaking down synthetic microplastic polymers.
- A number of bacterial and fungal species possess biodegradation capabilities, breaking down chemicals such as polystyrene, polyester polyurethane, and polyethylene. Such microorganisms potentially can be applied to sewage wastewater and other contaminated environments.