Scientists say that the understanding of how micro -plastic molecules affects human health may take years, but these molecules were found in the depths of the Mariana trench west of the Pacific Ocean and even the heights of Mount Everest, that is, in the deepest point and the highest land, as it became known that plastic accumulates in objects.
“The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all of it is in it … we are exposed to it.”
Scientists usually define “precise plastic” as cutting less than 5 millimeters. As for the “nanoplastic”, its length is less than one micrometer, which is the smallest and most vulnerable to the entry of our blood and tissue.
Jeffrey Varner, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at the Florida University of Florida College, told New York Times that fine plastic materials come mostly of larger plastic, which is degraded with use or when it is not disposed of properly.
More than a third of the plastic produced today is used for packaging, including one -use products, such as food containers, which mostly end as waste.
A neglected plastic bottle or bottle that reaches the ocean or beach is exposed to UV rays, heat and sand erosion, and from there it decomposes to huge amounts of delicate and carnivorous plastic.
How to enter our bodies?
Micro -plastic materials end in the air, soil, water and food, and then move to humans.
For example, car tire erosion secretes invisible molecules that pollute air and water. The nominated plastic materials are completed from the wastewater in the sludge that is then used as a fertilizer. Tens of millions of plastic tons find their way to lakes and oceans, where it decomposes over time.
Humans breathe these particles and swallow them, and some research indicates that plants absorb them directly from the soil and integrate them into their roots and later reach food products.
The fine plastic particles are more common in highly processed foods, perhaps due to pollution caused by used processing machines or even workers ’clothes.
The director of the reproductive health and environment program at the University of California, San Francisco, Terry Woodruff, said that scientists’ understanding of the possibility of penetration of delicate plastic of the skin and how this is limited.
She added that some evidence indicates that we can absorb careful plastic, and harmful chemicals in it from personal care products such as cosmetics and our clothes that fall into our fibers with our movement.
Research indicates that our bodies get rid of some of these fine plastic particles, especially the large ones, while the plastic that is not secreted in waste comes out from the intestine to the blood, and from there it can be transmitted to other organs such as the liver and brain.
What do we know about health effects?
Animal studies indicate that fine plastic particles may harm reproduction, especially sperm quality. It can also affect the functions of the lung and intestine.
It may also increase the risk of lung and colon cancer, and research on the sheriff (frogs) showed that exact plastic may also weaken the immune system.
It may be difficult to confirm the effects of humans from studies on animals, because the type and amount of plastic provided to animals in experimental settings often differs from the low -level chronic exposure to the air particles to which humans are exposed.
However, research has been conducted on humans, there are links between delicate plastic, early births, infections and cardiovascular disease.
There is also firm evidence that some chemicals found in plastic are harmful to humans, and some are classified as known carcinogenic materials or are likely to cause cancer to humans. These materials include “bipolar” and “phthalates” that disrupt the functions of natural hormones.
A previous study had indicated that about 13% of deaths around the world may be partially caused by exposure to high levels of phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastic soft and fad.
Reducing exposure to plastic requires a different consumption pattern that requires cutting with plastic products and tools in daily life, but the consumer does not bear the only burden imposed by the “plastic revolution”, but rather the interests and companies manufactured and promoted.
The threat posed by plastics on the environment, humans, biological diversity and planet requires an intense and effective international effort that exceeds the issue of recycling, and practically implementing the United Nations Treaty to end plastic pollution for 2022, which was approved by 175 countries.