HEALTH HAZARDS : MICROPLASTICS

HOW DO MICROPLASTICS AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT 

Microplastics negatively impact both human health and the environment, with growing scientific concern about their persistent and pervasive effects.

Effects on Human Health

Microplastics have been found in human blood, lungs, placenta, and other organs. Research shows ingestion and inhalation of these particles through contaminated food, water, and air is widespread—people may consume tens of thousands of particles each year.

Laboratory studies suggest microplastics can cause inflammation, cell death, oxidative stress, DNA damage, disturbances in lipid and hormone metabolism, and organ dysfunction in animal models.

Some compounds in microplastics—like BPA, phthalates, and heavy metals—can leach into tissues, disrupting the endocrine system and increasing risk of obesity, insulin resistance, reproductive issues, and possibly cancer.

Newly emerging evidence links microplastics in human arteries to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

There are major gaps in knowledge; while evidence suggests risk, the degree of harm in humans remains under study.

Effects on the Environment

Microplastics pollute freshwater, soil, and particularly oceans, where they are ingested by a huge range of organisms—from plankton to whales—causing physical harm, reduced feeding, toxicity, and death.

These particles disrupt critical earth systems, including ocean carbon and nitrogen cycling; by affecting plankton and microbial communities, they can impede the biological carbon pump and magnify climate challenges.

Microplastics can alter soil properties (like water retention and nutrient cycling) and microbial communities, reducing fertility and affecting food production.

They act as carriers for pathogens and toxic chemicals, accumulating in plants and animals, and moving up the food chain to humans, increasing ecological and health risks.

Unlike larger plastics, microplastics are nearly impossible to remove once dispersed, and their effects are long-lasting and potentially cumulative.

In summary, microplastics pose a complex threat to living systems and planetary processes—impairing the health of both humans and the environment, and demanding urgent, coordinated action.

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