We explain what microplastics are, where they are found, their causes and consequences. Also, what are the possible solutions.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic from different sources. Since they measure less than 5 millimeters, they are stored in the environment and constitute an important source of contamination nowadays. His presence has been detected in animals, food and even the human intestine.
Since 1950, when the production of plastics started on a massive scale, 8.3 billion metric tons of this material have been manufactured (that is, the equivalent of 1 billion elephants or 80 million blue whales). Only 9% of them recycle. The rest goes to the environment, where it begins a very long decomposition process, since it does not biodegrade.
However, it does disintegrate by the action of climatic and biological agents. Thus, plastics release small fragments that different forms of life They mistake it for food, storing it in their bodies that cannot digest it, and thus incorporating it into their respective Trophic chains.
The effects of microplastics on the organism of living beings are being studied. What is known is that this type of particles outside the organic material usual of its tissues can neither be digested, nor assimilated, but expelled by natural means in the best of cases. It is increasingly common to find dead animals due to plastic poisoning of different sizes.
In fact, the presence of microplastics has been verified in places as diverse as Arctic snow, the Water of sea, the lower part of the atmosphere, the inside of commercial water bottles of different brands, the intestines of fish or even in the fecal matter of Humans.
The who, in charge of these studies, has warned about the urgency of stopping the production of plastics and giving a more rational use to existing ones, as well as promoting the culture of recycling and responsible consumption.
Causes of microplastics
The pollution by microplastics has its origin in human manufacture, since plastic in its various forms does not exist in the nature. In this way, it is possible to classify microplastics depending on their specific origin, in:
- Primary microplastics (between 15 and 31% of the total). Those manufactured by man for small applications, and which are then discarded or lost and go to the environment. These are small parts, plugs, coatings, etc.
- Secondary microplastics (between 69 and 81% of the total). Those that come from the physical decomposition of larger plastic objects, such as containers, plastic bags, etc., than due to the erosion and with wear and tear, they were crushed into tiny fragments, although just as imperishable.
Consequences of microplastics
For now, the consequences of contamination by microplastics are unknown, beyond its abundant presence in the most diverse environments and the quantities of animals found with this material lodged in their stomachs.
The death Plastic poisoning seems like a remote possibility in humans, for now, but it is impossible to determine what the increase in these particles could produce in our bodies: obstructions, unexpected biochemical reactions, abscesses, poisonings, etc.
Microplastics solutions
There are no quick and immediate solutions to this trouble, but there are a series of measures that can be put into practice to deal with it, such as:
- Reduction of plastic production.In recent years, new resolutions around the use of plastic have led to the hardening of laws that prohibit the use of plastic bags, limit the importation or production of containers of said material, or propose their substitution by biodegradable materials. There is a global need for an agreement to reduce the production of this material.
- Promotion of recycling and reuse. Along with the reduction in its use, the recycling of plastic and its reuse are part of the urgent measures to be taken to limit the amount of plastic consumed. The containers can be reused, the lids too, the bags too, and what is not, can be recycled in other ways.
- Single-use plastics ban. Disposable items such as packaging, bags, microspheres, cutlery, glasses, straws, cotton swabs, etc. they will eventually have to be replaced by materials that are less damaging to the environment. Countries such as Costa Rica, Kenya, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the United States are already hardening their positions regarding the import and manufacture of this type of products.