(Microplastic in the air) (Andrea, 2019)

According to research done by École Nationales des Ponts et Chaussées, it shows that the concentration of microplastics in indoor air is higher than outdoors (Luo, 2018).

Though this made sense to me, before reading this, it didn’t occur to me that there would be more indoor microplastics pollution in the air than outdoors…Come to think of it, we wear clothes made of synthetic materials, we drink from plastic bottles, plastic straws, we use plastics as packaging, we are surrounded by plastic furniture, toys, accessories, and the list goes on…

Just when I thought that we are only exposed to microplastics pollution since the moment when we were born, I was astonished to find evidence showing that nanoplastics are transportable to the brain-blood barrier and the human placenta (EFSA, 2016; Diener et al., 2010). This means that when we are a fetus, we are already exposed to nanoplastics. It seems to me that it is difficult to be completely free from microplastic and nanoplastic pollution.

Since that seems like reality, let’s talk about the potential health effect it has on us. Though the full health risk from inhaling microplastics may not be certain, research has shown that it poses a great risk to humans as microplastics can travel deep into our lungs which may cause lesions to our lungs and bloodstreams, leading to respiratory problems and heart diseases (Luo, 2018).

Let me also share with you an interesting or gross finding. A study done by the Medical University of Vienna found microplastics present in all the human faeces that they studied which shows how real the problem of plastic is even though sometimes we can’t see microplastics with our naked eye (Robertson, 2019).

I know some of us may think that microplastics are very small and it wouldn’t have much impact on our health. However, let us recall the tragic news that has grabbed the attention of mankind about how animals who have consumed plastics have been suffocated to death. In a blink of an eye, who knows the amount of microplastic or nanoplastic might slowly increase to a harmful level that will suddenly impede our livelihoods?  Furthermore, plastics not only cause air pollution but also land and water pollution. We shouldn’t wait till the news reports about a person dying from over inhalation/consumption of microplastics then we start taking action. If we start being conscious of our actions now, there will at least be some light at the end of the tunnel. However, if we continue with our ways, we can only regret the actions we didn’t take. A small effort can also make a change. Look forward to our upcoming blog post on whether we can fully get rid of dirt and microplastics in our food! 

Your environmental buddy,
Zhi Yong

References:

Andrea, T. (2019, April 15). Microplastics Are Blowing in the Wind [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microplastics-are-blowing-in-the-wind/

European Food Safety Authority. (2016). Presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in food, with particular focus on seafood.  EFSA Journal, 14(6), 14. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2016.4501

Luo, K. (2018, June 4). Are you breathing plastic air at home? Here’s how microplastics are polluting our lungs. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/microplastic-pollution-in-air-pollutes-our-lungs/

Robertson, I. (2019, July 25). Polypropylene. Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/polypropylene/3010766.article

Diener, L., Diener, P., Malek, A., Manser, P., Meili, D., Krug, H., Maeder-Althaus, X., Mandach, U. V., Zisch, A., & Wick, P. (2010). Barrier Capacity of Human Placenta for Nanosized Materials [Abstract]. Environmental Health Perspectives, 118(3), 432-436. doi:10.1289/ehp.0901200