In our series EcoHomeLife Explains we tackle terms, concepts and issues around sustainability and explain them briefly and clearly. In this edition, we look at microplastics pollution and its effects on our environment.
We all know that plastic pollution is a huge problem for our environment. It’s everywhere, in our rivers, oceans and countryside. When I go for my morning run, the amount of plastic litter that I see lying around is heartbreaking.
Crisp packets, takeaway containers, drinks bottles, sweet wrappers, the list goes on and on. And while a litter pick will remove the harm, it doesn’t stop the littering. It seems that people just throw this plastic waste out of their cars as they drive along the street.
But there is a side to plastic pollution that you can’t see: pollution through tiny plastic pieces. These are called microplastics, and are no bigger than 5mm (0.2in). They can do incredible harm to our environment.
Let’s delve into this and find out how they get into our environment and what damage they can do.
Ways Microplastics Reach Our Environment
Pollution through these tiny plastic particles occurs when these manage to get into our environment. Unfortunately, this isn’t a rare occasion; instead it happens all the time. Studies have found that there are several ways these microplastics reach our environment.
Plastic Litter
One way these tiny plastic pieces get into our environment is through plastic items being littered. When a plastic bottle gets thrown away at the side of a road, it will start to break down.
This is a very long process, which can take hundreds or even thousands of years. During this process, small pieces break off, which are microplastics.
These can then get into the soil, or be washed away by rain and reach our waterways. Because these plastic particles are so small, the wind can also carry them far away from where they originated.
Usage Of Plastic Items
Some plastic items shed microplastics as we use them. For example, tyres. When we drive, abrasion causes tiny particles of the tyres to come off and disperse in our environment. Because nowadays, tyres are made of plastic, they shed microplastics.
Another big producer of microplastics through usage are synthetic fibres. Clothes, bags, carpets and anything else that is made from these man-made fibres. As we wear clothes or walk on carpets, tiny microfibres, a sub-category of microplastics, are released.
These can end up anywhere as they are carried by the wind to the remotest corners of our planet.
But microfibres also get shed by synthetic fabrics when they are washed. So every time you wash your laundry, microfibres get released and end up in our waterways. Because even though the water passes through water treatment plants, most microfibres manage to get through.
Fishing nets also release microfibres as they are used to fish our oceans.
Industrial Manufcaturing Processes
Some manufacturing processes are also responsible for the release of microplastics into our environment. For example, through the spillage of plastic feedstock particles.
Feedstocks are used to make many plastic items, so there are many opportunities for spillages. But many other manufacturing processes in different industries also leak microplastics into our environment.
Intentional Use Of Microplastics
All the ways we described above are unintentional and accidental. But many products actually contain microbeads, which are microplastics, including personal care products, cosmetics and cleaning products.
The microplastics in these products are used to create a certain texture or as an abrasive agent. So in toothpastes to remove stains and in exfoliants to get rid of dead skin.
Another type of plastic that is added, for example to laundry detergent or dishwasher tablets, is liquid plastic. Although this isn’t classed as microplastic, because it’s liquid rather than plastic particles, it has similar harmful effects for our environment.
This liquid plastic is used to bulk up a product or to give it a certain texture. The microplastics reach our waterways through waste water when we wash away make-up or use a laundry detergent.
The Environmental Impact Of Microplastics Pollution
Now that we know how this kind of pollution occurs, let’s look at its impact on our planet. The biggest problem is that most plastic doesn’t biodegrade. And it can take hundreds if not thousands of years to break down.
This means that microplastics will stay in our environment for a very long time, during which they cause a lot of harm to ecosystems and wildlife.
While it’s not yet fully understood what effects these microplastics have on our wildlife and plants, studies have found microplastics in fish (Baalkhuyur et al., 2018), mammals (Hernandez-Gonzales et al., 2018), and birds (Provencher et al., 2020).
But it’s not just in animals scientists have found microplastics. They are also in us humans. You are probably not aware, but you digest, inhale and absorb these tiny plastic particles all the time.
Researchers have found them in human blood (Liu et al., 2024), in gallstones (Zhang et al., 2024), in kidney tissue (Massardo et al., 2024), the lungs (Saha et al., 2024) and many other places in the human body.
Scientists have also found microplastics in plants, including those that we eat. A study by Zantis et al. from 2022 has shown that plants containing these small plastic particles have had an adverse effect. From germination over early development to growth, negative effects have been observed.
Several studies have also shown that microplastics can cause toxicity in animals if ingested. It can affect their metabolism as well as damage their intestinal structures.
So there is plenty of evidence that microplastics have a huge impact on our environment and ourselves. But we are facing an uphill struggle. The plastic production has been growing every year since 1950, with only a slight dip in 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
Solving microplastics pollution requires a huge societal shift, away from the use of plastic and from a throwaway society. We need to find our way back to where we can strike a balance between our convenience and a healthy environment.
