Scientists Tested How Much Microplastics Humans Ingest in a Week — It’s Equivalent to a ‘Credit Card’
While the face of Earth remains plagued by plastic pollution, a bigger problem has now come to light. What’s worse than plastics is plastics that we cannot see. Microplastics are tiny particles or debris of plastic that are less than 5 millimeters in size. Since it is impossible to spot them with the naked eye, microplastics have caused a ruckus in the world and inside human bodies. Researchers have found humans inhale an amount of microplastics equivalent to a credit card on a weekly basis, and it’s gravely concerning. While ingestion of microplastics is the dominant factor in exposure, inhalation from air and consumption of drinks contaminated with these tiny plastic particles are also significant contributors, per a study published in the journal Physics of Fluids in 2023.
Microplastics exposure in humans
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) led a study focused on the detrimental effects of human exposure to microplastics. It was found that humans inhale 16.2 bits of microplastics every hour on average. To put it in perspective, this amount of exposure is equivalent to inhaling a credit card's worth of plastics in a week. As concerning as that sounds, the dangers of physical damage inside the body, particularly in the respiratory system, are unthinkable. Through extensive analysis of the behaviors of the microplastics in the respiratory system, the scientists found chilling results. They considered factors like the shapes of the particles and sizes in the upper airways.
Lead author of the study and an expert in Materials and Process Engineering at UTS, Mohammad S. Islam, explained that the complicated dynamics of the nasal cavity and oropharynx influence the deposition of microplastics in the body, per Earth.com. “The complicated and highly asymmetric anatomical shape of the airway and complex flow behavior in the nasal cavity and oropharynx causes the microplastics to deviate from the flow pathline and deposit in those areas,” Islam continued. “The flow speed, particle inertia, and asymmetric anatomy influence the overall deposition and increase the deposition concentration in the nasal cavities and the oropharynx area.” Higher breathing rates deposited fewer particles; however, the large-sized particles were more common in the airways.
Microplastics pose health hazards
The tiny particles of plastic present in our atmosphere do more harm than we know. They have infiltrated the marine and freshwater environments and are either directly or indirectly ingested by humans through food items, air, and water. Microplastics can cause both physical damage and release toxic substances to disrupt our hormone systems. Plastics also contain phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) that leach out of the particles and impact our internal organs like the endocrine glands. However, research is still needed in the field to accurately weigh the detrimental effects microplastics are causing in our world.
“Millions of tons of these microplastic particles have been found in water, air, and soil. Global microplastic production is surging, and the density of microplastics in the air is increasing significantly,” Island said. Moreover, microplastics are also contaminated with microbial communities, including harmful ones, that could interfere with our gut microbiota. The researchers stress the importance of further research and resources to fully understand the risks, as many unanswered questions remain. The New York Times shared a story on microplastics in human brains on YouTube.
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