When we think of plastic pollution with respect to water, we tend to think of large-scale phenomenon such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or plastic bottles floating on the surface of the water. It is not wrong to do so. However, it is important for us to realise that these plastics are only the tip of the iceberg. Yes, 1.13 million tons of plastic floats on the oceans’ surfaces, and it is important for us to clean these up (Toussaint, 2021). However, the real deal lies beneath the surface. In fact, these 1.13 million tons of plastic is only 0.6% of the total plastic pollution (Toussaint, 2021). Shockingly, the total plastic pollution consists of 198 million tons of plastics, dumped into the ocean since the 1950s (Toussaint, 2021).
Why is plastic pollution becoming a crisis? To answer this question, we have to realise that plastics have become part of Man’s everyday life, especially with the convenience and durability it provides. According to Parker (2019), half of all plastics ever manufactured were created in the last 15 years. Production of plastic has increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons in 2015 (Parker, 2019). However, with the mass production of single-use plastics, a “throw-away culture” resulted (Parker, 2019). These plastic materials, which include food wrappers and bags, ends up prevailing in the environment for a long time as it is hard for it to break down (Parker, 2019).
This is not the worst. Once in the ocean, the plastic breaks down into tiny materials called microplastics. According to the National Ocean Service (n.d.), microplastics are “plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life”. Microplastics in the ocean can affect marine life, both big and small, ranging from tiny crustaceans to birds and whales (Stevens, 2020). Often, these microplastics are consumed by animals accidentally, ending up in the food chain/web. These microplastics (bio)accumulates and (bio)magnifies as we move up the food chain/web. As humans are located at the top of this chain/web, we are in fact ingesting these microplastics, which adversely affects our health. These health impacts can come in the form of inflammations, oxidative stress, increased cancer risks and many other health implications (Rahman et al., 2021).
To sum up this week’s post, plastic pollution in water bodies are not limited to what we can see. In fact, a large proportion of the total plastic pollution cannot be seen! Unfortunately, these plastics, which we created, will be coming back to haunt us.
References:
National Ocean Service. (n.d.). What are microplastics? National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html#:~:text=Microplastics%20are%20small%20plastic%20pieces,our%20ocean%20and%20aquatic%20life.&text=Plastic%20debris%20can%20come%20in,)%20are%20called%20%E2%80%9Cmicroplastics.%E2%80%9D
Parker, L. (2019, June 7). The world’s plastic pollution crisis explained. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution
Rahman, A., Sarkar, A., Yadav, O. P., Achari, G., & Slobodnik, J. (2021). Potential human health risks due to environmental exposure to nano- and microplastics and knowledge gaps: A scoping review. Science of The Total Environment, 757, 143872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143872
Stevens, A. P. (2020, November 3). Polluting microplastics harm both animals and ecosysytems. Science News for Students. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/polluting-microplastics-harm-both-animals-and-ecosystems
Toussaint, K. (2021, August 6). Debunking the biggest myths about our ocean plastic problem. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90644233/debunking-the-biggest-myths-about-our-ocean-plastic-problem