Microplastics research paper

 

Throughout the decades, the U.S. has been the most consistent producer of plastic waste in the world. As such, plastic pollution has become more dangerous and detrimental to the environment than ever before. However, with advances in technology and environmental activism, the issue of plastics has been at the forefront of environmental issues for years now. Although ecologists, environmental scientists, and marine biologists heavily advocate for the removal of single-use plastics from the ocean, they warn us of an even more troublesome plastic that is destroying our marine environments, and it is1950s something that we cannot even see, microplastics. Although small, they cause some of the most exponential problems in marine environments, such as polluting the water and affecting marine life. It has become such an epidemic that it is affecting organisms and people on a genetic level. It is important that we not only look at how this problem affects the marine environment but also how to effectively minimize and hopefully eliminate this problem.

              Microplastics are small bits of plastic, often between 0 and 5 millimeters. Because microplastics can be made for low costs, have incredible water resistance, and a good chemical makeup, they are ably damaging to water. Furthermore, they take decades to biodegrade and decompose within the ocean water, furthering the problem of marine microplastic pollution. Since the 1950’s, the production of plastics globally has increased by almost 4%. Around 10% of the plastic that goes into the ocean comes from water channels, which account for around 60% to 80% of marine waste (Li, Sun, et. Al). With new research, we have been able to figure out that most of the microplastics come from inland river flows, fisheries, and oil (Li, Sun, et. al). Under examination, we can conclude that the main chemicals that are found in microplastics are polyurethane and polystyrene (Li, Sun, et al.)  Currently, the main sources of microplastics are plastic bags and plastic fibers. Although many areas of the U.S. contribute to the throwing away of microplastics, the biggest contributors are Coastal and beach towns. Cities such as Miami, San Diego, North Carolina, and Tampa have thriving Coastal attractions, which attract thousands of visitors every month. The downside to this flocking of visitors is the amount of microplastics that are deposited right into the ocean. This can come in the form of people throwing their trash on the ground, boats losing fishing lines and hooks in the water, and marine shipping accidents (Li, Sun, et. al, paragraph 2). Due to many of these coastal cities having a higher average temperature and specific heat, this leads to increased photooxidation of single-use plastics such as plastic bags, bottles, and other types of plastic waste. Another major form of microplastic is from fishing boats and ships. When trawling, the nets and ropes that are used will be worn from abrasion, therefore increasing the microplastics that are found in fisheries (Li, Sun, et. al, paragraph 2).

              One of the major effect of microplastics on the marine environment is its effect on the health of aquatic organisms. Microplastics that are less than 5 millimeters in size are the most found in aquatic environments. Microplastics of this size, depending on their shape and density, can float, sink, or become neutrally buoyant (Hernandez-Gonzalez et al, 2018, as cited in Nabim, Ahmad, 2022). Microplastics can originate from a variety of sources. Some of the main sources they come from include macro-plastic degradation (from UV light, radiation, and wave movement), wastewater discharge, shipping spills, and other different sources containing microbeads and microfibers (Nelms et al., 2018; Du et a., 2021, as reference in Nabi, Ahmad, 2022) Due to their small size, they can easily be ingested by aquatic animals. For starters, this ingestion of these small plastics can cause choking, blockages in the organism’s organs, and the plastic releasing toxic chemicals in the body. Even more so, it has been shown in recent scientific studies that microplastics change the genetic structure of fish. It was shown that male fish had the same amount, even higher amounts of estrogen than female fish. Furthermore, ingestion of microplastics can also alter kidney histomorphology, induce inflammation, and disrupt multiple biomarkers in the fish (Meng et al., 2022, as referenced in Nabi,2022). More of the effects of microplastics on the fish’s overall health include microbial disorders, oxidative damage to the gut, immune cell toxicity, and mucus layer reduction.

              Microplastics may seem like an impossible problem to fix, but there are many solutions to fix this crisis. Firstly, the biggest way we can reduce microplastics in aquatic environments is by using alternative resources. For example, instead of eliminating single-use plastics, we can use alternative materials such as cardboard, glass, stainless steel, and other biodegradable products (Calero, Godoy, et al.,2020). Research into bioplastics and biodegradable plastics would not only help the reduction of marine microplastics but also promote important eco-friendly activities such as composting and reusing. Producer and company responsibility is a facet of reducing microplastics that is often overlooked within environmental justice. The main steps that we need to take to move towards zero-waste include redesigning plastics for circularity, minimizing the loss of preproduction plastic pellets, extending producer responsibility, and banning certain types of plastics (Calero, Godoy, et al., 2020). An important question that needs to be asked when finding out the main sources of aquatic microplastics is where it comes from. One of the primary environmental pollution routes is through wastewater treatment plants. Much of the microplastics that come out of these treatment plants come from cosmetics, cleaners, and synthetic clothing (Calero, Godoy, et al., 2020). Even though the wastewater treatment plants remove almost 90% of the microplastics, even smaller ones are in the final effluent. As such, this effluent of microplastics leaks into ocean, river, and lake waters.

              The most an important concept when talking about finding solutions to the epidemic of microplastics is involvement and education. In this day in age, the younger generation has taken the world by storm, finally demanding that there be action for the ever-growing global environmental problem. Most importantly, we must educate the public about the dangers of microplastics, as it is not as professionally researched as the effects of single-use plastics. If we educated younger people more, this would put pressure on politicians and lawmakers to pass policies and laws which would not only help reduce microplastics but also our overall consumption of plastic all altogether. Furthermore, with advances in hydrological research, innovative studies are being conducted into the health effects of microplastics, their chemical properties, and how these toxic chemicals affect the overall chemistry of ocean, lake, and river water. Microplastics will be with us in the foreseeable future for quite a long time. However, instead of waiting on other people to help fix this problem, we need to do it ourselves and create a better future for not only ourselves but the planet.

 

1.       Calero, M., Godoy, V., Quesada, L., & María Angeles Martín-Lara. (2021). Green strategies for microplastics reduction. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 28, 100442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2020.100442

 

2.       Nabi, G., Ahmad, S., Ullah, S., Zada, S., Sarfraz, M., Guo, X., … Wanghe, K. (2022). The adverse health effects of increasing microplastic pollution on aquatic mammals. Journal of King Saud University - Science, 34(4), 102006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2022.102006

 

3.       You Li et al 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 631 012006