Polymer microparticles, which accumulate in the environment, in landfills and reach water, are transmitted through food chains and enter the human body.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Microplastic has been deposited in products, it has penetrated into water and even the cosmetics we use daily are not without sin. A forum on this topic was held at the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology”. Experts discussed whether microplastics are as terrible as the imagination imagines them and whether there is any possibility of protecting us from the damned polymers.
Let’s agree on the terms.
Microplastics are the product of the decomposition of cling film, shopping bags, PET bottles, plastics, synthetic clothing, cosmetics, glitter and anything made of synthetic and semi-synthetic polymers. Particle size ranges from 5 mm to 1 micrometer and less (nanoplastics).
Where does everything come from?
In general, it is clear: humans produce microplastics and they return to us. That is, it was initially created for the production of cosmetics, glues, paints for stainless steel, liquids for polishing mechanisms…
“Body scrubs, for example, despite the manufacturer’s statement about the use of natural ingredients (of course, they are also present there), in most cases contain plastic microspheres,” says Mikhail Shchelkanov, Doctor of Science Biological, Director of the Federal State. Budgetary institution “Research Institute in Epidemiology and Microbiology named after. GP Somov” of Rospotrebnadzor.
Recycled microplastic is obtained from all the plastic and synthetics that we have printed. Over time, although very slowly, the polymer breaks down, forming bricks like a wall. But the smallest particles do not disappear without a trace and do not decompose. They begin their journey: along rivers, to the world’s oceans, and then through water, to fish and animals, mushrooms and plants. And through them, to us, the people.
! Every year, several million tons of plastic waste reach the world’s oceans. In 2022 there were about 9 million tons, and in 2023 there will be 9.5 million tons, and the amount of that garbage will only grow.
FOUND EVEN IN MILK AND WINE
Polymer microparticles, which accumulate in the environment, in landfills and reach water, are transmitted through food chains and enter the human body, mainly through the gastrointestinal tract.
– Research results show that microplastics can be found in almost all food and drink products, including vegetables, fish, seafood, even table salt, sugar, honey, milk, drinking water and highly processed drinks such as kvass, wine and beer, – says the Rospotrebnadzor expert.
Microplastic is a decomposition product of cling film, shopping bags, PET bottles, plastics, synthetic clothing and cosmetics.
Photo: Shutterstock.
AND ALSO WITH BACTERIA
The fact that microplastics enter the body is not so bad. It is also covered in bacteria.
A dense and stable biofilm adheres to the surface of this plastic crumb. And it contains everything, including Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, Vibrio mimicus (hello diarrhea and gastroenteritis, inflammation of the colon). Well, antibiotic-resistant pathogens also like to gain a foothold in microplastics and travel to humans.
– As a result of a large-scale study of tap water samples from 59 of the most economically developed countries in the world, including Russia, it was found that 85% of the samples contained microplastics. Its particles were found even in bottled mineral water in both plastic and glass bottles, says Mikhail Shchelkanov.
Once in the stomach, microplastics collide with its barrier systems. And it can pass through them, causing irritation, inflammation and reducing immunity. Additionally, it changes the balance of beneficial bacteria in the microbiome – our internal colony of microorganisms. Harmful plastic can enter both the bloodstream and cells. And here, the smaller the particle and the more harmful the bacteria it contains, the worse the result can be.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
And what can you do, because no matter what, he is everywhere?! There is no need to panic. Man is a complex system; We adapt to a variety of conditions, including unfavorable ones. But it is advisable to try to reduce the consumption of microplastics. To do this, experts advise:
– for water, use glass or metal flasks instead of PET bottles;
– if you have access to water from deep wells (several hundred meters), that’s fine, but you must store such water correctly;
– as shown by a study by Chinese scientists, boiling significantly reduces the level of microplastics in the water, which remain in the sediment.
On a large planetary scale, the future lies in “smart landfills” with a well-thought-out design. Or new generation waste incinerator plants. By the way, this option exists, for example, in the center of Vienna. The plastic burned there also heats the houses in neighboring areas.
