The dangers of microplastics

Have you read or watched the news recently and seen articles talking about microplastics in our teas, washing machines and water bottles? It’s no longer a secret that plastic is everywhere, all the time, and that they have catastrophic effects on our health and the planet. What are the dangers of microplastics? Keep reading to find out.

It is mind-blowing that 80 percent of all pollution in the Great Lakes is plastic, a product that has only been around for the last century. Clearly, plastic pollution is a major problem today, especially microplastics. One of the biggest challenges with these little plastics is the fact that they are so little, sometimes we can’t even see them.

Today you will learn all about microplastics, what the dangers of microplastics are, and how you can help fight plastic pollution (and protect your health).

First of all, what are microplastics?

Most people have heard the term “microplastics” before, but what does it actually mean? What qualifies as a microplastic?

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, less than 5mm in length. There is no one type of material that qualifies as a microplastic. Generally, any type of plastic can be considered a microplastic if the pieces are small enough. A product can start out as a large piece of plastic, but as it is used or faces elemental impacts like UV radiation it can break down. These pieces are so small that you often can’t see them, making it challenging to identify, let alone prevent microplastics from being released into the environment.

How are microplastics created?

Microplastics come from all sorts of products. Clothing, beauty products, cleaners, tea bags and more. Since they are so small and hard to identify, it is very challenging to understand just how many pieces of microplastics are around us at a given time. Since they are in practically everything we use, they are likely on your skin and in your body at this very moment.

In recent months, microbeads have been the focus of the media. These are a kind of microplastic that we can see as they are designed to make a product look fun. They are the tiny balls that act as exfoliants in your facial cleansers and hand sanitizers. They have been around for at least 50 years in cosmetics, but we are only realizing now that non-degradable products may not be the best thing to put on your skin or in your body.

Microbeads aren’t the only type of microplastic. There are five main types of microplastics we interact with every day, according to Water Keeper:

Fibres: mainly clothing made of fleece or cloth-like materials such as diapers and even cigarettes. This is the most common type of microplastic in the Great Lakes, and the main pathway into our waters is through washing our clothes.
Fragments: small pieces of plastic that break off of larger ones, like cutlery and coffee lids. UV rays from the sun can break down these pieces even further, which is one reason why it’s not recommended to leave single-use plastic water bottles out in the hot sun.
Microbeads: less than 1mm in size, these beads are now officially banned in Canada (but still exist in other countries). Since they are so small, one plastic-containing product can pack a pollution punch: one toothpaste tube contains up to 300,000 microbeads. Insane, right?
Nurdles: plastic pellets used to make larger goods, and can be melted into a mould. They are often used in packaging to protect larger goods and are a nuisance to clean up if they spill — which they often do during transport, quickly escaping into our waterways.
Foam: polystyrene, or Styrofoam, is the common form of this and another product being banned in many countries.

How do microplastics get into the oceans?

Now that you know what microplastics are, let’s talk about the first reason why they are a problem. We know that plastic is polluting our oceans, but it’s not just water bottles and bags that are destroying aquatic habitats. In fact, microplastics are far more common in the oceans than these larger pieces of pollution.

Since they are in so many everyday products, any time products containing plastic are washed or come into contact with liquids that end up going down the drain, microplastics go with them. The non-degradable pieces of pollution hold up against the long journey through the drain, sewage system and eventually escape into our natural waters. Since they don’t break down, they can last in our waters far beyond our own lifetime.

What happens once they are in the water?

Small critters like zooplankton mistake microplastics for food. These critters form the basis of many food chains, and because microplastics do not break down, they travel up the food chain. As larger organisms like fish eat the zooplankton, they are indirectly consuming the microplastics. When even larger fish, marine birds and mammals consume the fish, they are also indirectly eating microplastics. And if humans eat the fish? Yep, then we are eating the microplastics that we put in the ocean in the first place. We are eating our own pollution.

The impacts of microplastics on health

Plastics are by no means “natural” materials. By introducing these materials into our ecosystems, we are also introducing a host of chemicals with dangerous impacts. Studies are emerging that examine these impacts; early research predicts that human consumption of microplastics through seafood could cause developmental defects, birth defects, hormone dysregulation, immune system dysfunction, thyroid disease and even cancer (1, 2, 3, 4).

For marine organisms, another disheartening impact of microplastics is starvation. By consuming microplastics they have the illusion that they are “full,” without obtaining any of the nutrition they need to thrive. As a result, organisms can perish without realizing they are in danger.

The dangers of microplastics are not limited to water. New studies argue that airborne microplastics may induce damage to the respiratory system, much like other airborne plastic fibers known to cause inflammation. Microplastics are taking over every aspect of our lives, impacting our right and the planet’s right to good health.

What is being done to fight microplastic pollution?

For such a recent issue, microplastics have a massive impact in a short period of time. Due to the complexity of the plastic issue and how many factors contribute to the problem, no single solution will “clean” the oceans or our body of plastics. The dangers of microplastics is no simple challenge we can overcome.

What factors am I talking about? Consumer behaviour is one, as are production standards, sterilization requirements of consumer goods, convenience, lack of uniformity in plastic restrictions around the world, and a lack of knowledge about the impacts of microplastics. We can’t just say “stop using microplastics” because there are billions of products out there at this very moment contributing to the problem. If we stop the production of microplastics now, there are still billions of existing products contributing to the problem; what do we do with those? In addition, if consumers are used to living a certain way, using certain products, a transition away from microplastic-containing products will not be smooth.

Banning plastics?

There has been a somewhat disorganized effort to reduce microplastic pollution on the planet by various countries. Canada has banned microbeads, as well as the USA, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The European Union has put forth a ban on 90 percent of all microplastics. However, there is no international collaboration to fight microplastics, something that will be crucial for mitigating this global problem that impacts everyone, everywhere.

In addition, while a ban may be helpful in some aspects, it does not address another crucial component to the problem: changing consumer behaviours. Consumers must be educated on the impacts, how they are contributing to the problem, and what they can do to prevent microplastics from entering our oceans. They need to see how their current actions will impact their future wellbeing, and be provided with suitable alternatives to reduce this impact.

What can you do?

You don’t need a lot of money, time or resources to help fight the dangers of microplastics. You just need a bit of creativity and awareness of the problem. You are already aware of the problem and its impacts because of this blog post. Now here are some creative ways to fight the problem in your own life. You can take these four actions immediately to reduce your exposure to microplastics, protecting your health and the planet:

Stop using single-use plastic products. A direct way to minimize your exposure to microplastics immediately. Switch to reusable water bottles, mugs and food containers.
Avoid clothing made of cheap materials like fleece, rayon and polyester. These artificial materials are manufactured using plastics, so it’s no wonder they contribute to the microplastic problem when washed. Opt for higher-quality clothing and wash your items less often (e.g. you don’t have to wash jeans every time you wear them). You don’t need to spend a fortune to wear high-quality clothing: thrift stores are great for inexpensive clothing, and because they are pre-worn, they are less likely to release microplastics than new clothes that have not been washed yet.
Swap out your conventional cleansers, soaps and other personal care products for simple ingredients, natural products. For instance, use a glycerin bar to wash your face and remove makeup, rather than store-bought cleansers and removers. I can vouch that this still gets the job done, with a much lower impact.
Educate others. The more people who know about this issue and start taking action, the fewer microplastics that will end up in our oceans, and the sooner we can protect our health and planet.

Final thoughts

The sooner we do our individual parts to fight the dangers of microplastics, the faster we can achieve a sustainable future. It’s by no means a simple task, but we have to start somewhere if we want to avoid having more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050. The preventative actions must start with you, and start today.

Want to learn more about what else you can do to fight plastic pollution? Check out these posts:

Let’s all start taking action right now to fight microplastic pollution. You now know what the dangers of microplastics are, why it is such a big issue, and how you can be a part of the global solution.

As always, thank you for reading.

Until next time!