At the beginning of the twentieth century, the
first synthetic chemical compound was created. Due to the enormous use of
plastics in our daily life and their inappropriate discarding is a global
issue. Nowadays, we can see the plastic used in everyday work such as from the
packaging of our food to the shopping bags and from household items to the
lining of our water pipes and helmet of our bikes and even vehicles lightening is
possible due to plastic. The production of plastic compounds reached 348
million tons in 2017 which will be reached to 33 billion tons by 2050. We used
plastic for above mention purposes because of plastic property to be elastic or
it does not degrade easily, which provide long-lasting character to the
plastic. Plastic revolutionized the world as it made space travel possible and
most life save equipment are made from plastic. Despite these benefits of
plastic, it becomes major environmental pollution. Due to it cannot degrade easily,
a single plastic bottle can stay in the environment for 500 years. In the
modern era, it is considered as an emerging contaminant.
Humans are adding a large amount of waste in
the water bodies and soil environment which is mostly Plastic. Therefore, micro
plastics are present in all the compartments, and they may enter through
different sources including primary sources (industrial and domestic products)
or from secondary sources, due to the breakdown of larger plastic particles
that are present in the environment. Micro plastics are generally formed by
fragmentation of the larger plastic debris and have a dimension of less than
5mm. This is carried out through a variety of mechanical, chemical, and
biological phenomena that convert it into small size plastic particles. There
are different news and research work done on the plastic effects in the world
that shows plastic not only a dangerous pollutant for the animals but now it
also becomes hazardous for human as well. The recent report of WHO (World
Health Organization) confirms the presence of tiny particles of plastic in the
drinking water reservoirs. These tiny plastic particles that are less than 5mm in
length are referred to as micro-plastic. However, according to the report, it
is too early to say that it can cause an adverse effect on human health because
there are research data gaps which need to be considered. However, there is
clear evidence that human is ingesting plastic in the form of microplastic. As
it is a long-lasting substance that can live in the environment for hundreds of
years, it can also bioaccumulate in the human body. It may be harmful to human
health. It is only a matter of time; we will find about its hazardous effects. Moreover,
Micro plastics pollution in aquatic ecosystems is caused by a variety of
terrestrial and marine-based processes, including household and industrial
drainage, agricultural runoff, and wastewater treatment plant effluent. Micro
plastics have been found in human food and air samples, and exposure to Micro
plastic through consumption or inhalation might have negative health
consequences. It may cause different disease including neurotoxicity, diabetes,
and cancer.
About the Author: Muhammad Arslan Aslam is currently doing MPhil
in "Climate Change and sustainable development" from Asian Institute
of Technology, Thailand.
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