Study reveals colossal human intake of microplastic
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Humans eat and breathe in tens of thousands of microplastic particles every year, according to a new analysis yesterday that raised fresh questions over how plastic waste could directly impact our health.
Microplastics 鈥 tiny plastic shards broken down from man-made products such as synthetic clothing, car tires and contact lenses 鈥 are among the most ubiquitous materials on the planet.
They have been found on some of the world鈥檚 highest glaciers and at the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches.
Several previous studies have shown how microplastics may enter the human food chain, including one last year that found them in nearly all major bottled water brands sampled.
In yesterday鈥檚 research, Canadian scientists analyzed hundreds of data sets on microplastic contamination and compared them with the typical diet habits of Americans.
They found that an adult male could expect to ingest up to 52,000 microplastic particles each year.
Taking into account the pollution we breathe in, that figure rose to 121,000 particles 鈥 equivalent to over 320 particles every day.
The study coincided with the United Nation鈥檚 World Environment Day, the theme of which this year is air pollution.
An additional 90,000 particles could be ingested each year if an individual only drank bottled water, the study said, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The amount of plastics consumed by a given individual would depend largely on where they live and what they eat, the authors said.
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