Microplastics

Extracted Attributes

• Origin

  Primary manufacturing or secondary degradation

• Ubiquity

  Considered an ubiquitous pollutant

• Definition

  Synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape, insoluble in water

• Size Range

  1 micrometer to 5 millimeters

• Ecological Impact

  Ingestion and accumulation by organisms, biomagnification of toxic chemicals, reduced soil viability, mistaken for food by marine life/birds

• Major Ocean Source

  Approximately 35% from textiles/clothing (polyester, acrylic, nylon erosion during washing)

• Human Health Concerns

  Act as endocrine disruptors, associations with cardiovascular disease, low male fertility; chemicals in plastics linked to cancers, metabolic disorders, ADHD, fertility issues

• Environmental Presence

  Aquatic, marine, air, terrestrial ecosystems, drinking water, foodstuff, remote locations

• Environmental Persistence

  Hundreds to thousands of years

• Visibility of Nanoplastics

  Invisible to the human eye

• Further Degradation Product

  Nanoplastics (<1 micrometer)

• Current Research Status (2023)

  Complete cycle and movement in environment not fully known; knowledge on health impacts lacking

• Primary Microplastics Examples

  Microfibers (from clothing), Microbeads (in cosmetics, personal care products), Plastic pellets (nurdles), Plastic glitter

• Secondary Microplastics Examples

  Degradation of larger plastic items (bottles, fishing nets, plastic bags, microwave containers, tea bags, tire wear, paints, adhesives, coatings, electronics, building materials)

Timeline

• Richard Thompson OBE FRS coined the term 'microplastics' in his landmark paper, 'Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic?'. (Source: web search - University of Plymouth)

  2004

• As of this year, the complete cycle and movement of microplastics in the environment was not fully known. (Source: Wikipedia, user summary)

  2023

• Research findings from Ross' team at the University of New Mexico were published, detecting microplastics in human testicles. (Source: related document, web search - AAMC)

  2023-08

• The European Commission initiated regulatory actions, such as a restriction of non-degradable and non-soluble (semi-)synthetic polymer microparticles and of products that contain them. (Source: web search - EEA)

  Ongoing

Microplastics

Microplastics are "synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water." Microplastics cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, construction, renovation, food packaging, and industrial processes. The term microplastics is used to differentiate from larger, non-microscopic plastic waste. Two classifications of microplastics are currently recognized. Primary microplastics include any plastic fragments or particles that are already 5.0 mm in size or less before entering the environment. These include microfibers from clothing, microbeads, plastic glitter and plastic pellets (also known as nurdles). Secondary microplastics arise from the degradation (breakdown) of larger plastic products through natural weathering processes after entering the environment. Such sources of secondary microplastics include water and soda bottles, fishing nets, plastic bags, microwave containers, tea bags and tire wear. Both types are recognized to persist in the environment at high levels, particularly in aquatic and marine ecosystems, where they cause water pollution. Approximately 35% of all ocean microplastics come from textiles or clothing, primarily due to the erosion of polyester, acrylic, or nylon-based clothing, often during the washing process. Microplastics also accumulate in the air and terrestrial ecosystems. Airborne microplastics have been detected in the atmosphere, as well as indoors and outdoors. Because plastics degrade slowly (often over hundreds to thousands of years), microplastics have a high probability of ingestion, incorporation into, and accumulation in the bodies and tissues of many organisms. The toxic chemicals that come from both the ocean and runoff can also biomagnify up the food chain. In terrestrial ecosystems, microplastics have been demonstrated to reduce the viability of soil ecosystems. As of 2023, the cycle and movement of microplastics in the environment was not fully known. Microplastics are likely to degrade into smaller nanoplastics through chemical weathering processes, mechanical breakdown, and even through the digestive processes of animals. Nanoplastics are a subset of microplastics and they are smaller than 1 μm (1 micrometer or 1000 nm). Nanoplastics cannot be seen by the human eye.

Web Search Results

• Yale Experts Explain Microplastics

  “As their name suggests, microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters in size,” says Dr. Leigh Shemitz (MFS ‘92, PhD. ’04), President of SoundWaters. “These pieces range anywhere from about the diameter of a grain of rice to where they need to be seen under a microscope.” [...] Paul Anastas, the Director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment at Yale University, explains that there are both primary and secondary microplastics. “Primary microplastics are plastic particles designed to be very small for them to carry out their intended function.” Anastas says, adding that these plastic microbeads are often found as small spheres in exfoliating face washes or [...] On the other hand, secondary microplastics are “large plastic materials that could be used in packaging or building materials that just get ground down over time either through abrasion, wind, or sun rays, and become microplastics,” Anastas explains. Plastics bags, bottles, and food containers, as well as paints, adhesives and coatings, and electronics are all examples of materials that can break down and release secondary microplastics. Washing clothing made with synthetic fibers in washing

• Impacts of microplastics on health (Signal) | European zero pollution ...

  Microplastics, i.e. small plastic pieces less than 5 mm in diameter, can result from a few sources. This includes the breakdown of larger plastic debris; unintentional release through the wear and tear of products (e.g. car tyre abrasion or from synthetic textiles); or emissions from products to which microplastics were intentionally added (e.g. microplastic beads in . Microplastics are of particular concern in the environment because their small size means they can be transported over long . [...] Key messages: Microplastics are a major emerging pollutant of concern as the chemical compounds within them can pose a threat to human health. While much data is available on the presence of microplastics in the environment, knowledge on the health impacts of microplastics is currently lacking. The European Commission initiated regulatory actions, such as a restriction of non-degradable and non-soluble (semi-)synthetic polymer microparticles and of products that contain them. While a number of [...] Microplastics are considered an ubiquitous pollutant and have been found in indoor and outdoor air, drinking water, foodstuff and in many locations worldwide, including remote locations such as the . In both terrestrial and water environments, microplastics can be transferred throughout food chains into different . ### Health impact(s) of microplastics

• Microplastics: Sources, health risks, and how to protect yourself

  One source of microplastics is the disintegration of larger plastic debris into smaller pieces, sometimes into particles that are too small to see. Sources can vary widely, but major contributors include synthetic clothing, car tires, city dust, road markings, and marine coatings. [...] As the world grapples with increasing plastic pollution, microplastics remain a pressing concern for both human health and the environment. While researchers and governments work to better understand and mitigate these risks, individuals can play a role by making small, thoughtful changes in daily life. Together, through science, policy, and action, we can move toward a future where the harmful impacts of microplastics are minimized, ensuring a cleaner and healthier world for generations to [...] Another source of microplastics comes from manufactured microbeads. Microbeads are commonly used in personal care products due to their abrasive and exfoliating properties. Such examples of products where microbeads are used include scrubbing agents, shower gels, and creams, which can be up to 10% plastic. More recently, microbeads have been reported in agricultural soils and organic fertilizers and have also been intentionally used in asphalt and in building materials to enhance their

• Are microplastics a big problem? - University of Plymouth

  # Are microplastics a big problem? ###### Discover microplastics’ effects on the environment and what the University of Plymouth is doing to help ## What are microplastics? Microplastics are very small particles of plastic debris with a diameter of less than five millimetres. [...] In 2004, Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the University’s Marine Institute, was the first to describe their long term accumulation and coin the term 'microplastics' in his landmark paper, 'Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic?'. [...] It is estimated that plastics (including microplastics) could take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down and therefore plastics debris is accumulating in our oceans year on year. Microplastics can be mistaken for food by birds and marine life and there is evidence that this can cause harm. Microplastics have been documented in all five of the ocean’s subtropical gyres and some of the greatest accumulations of microplastic are found thousands of miles from land.

• Microplastics are inside us all. What does that mean for our health?

  The research findings from Ross’ team, published in August 2023, add to a slew of recent studies pointing to an alarming trend: microplastics are everywhere. Minuscule plastic particles that come from degraded plastic products are found throughout the environment. Scientists estimate there are 8-10 million metric tons of plastics in the oceans, and some of that is consumed by fish and other wildlife. Microplastics have been detected in fruits and vegetables, plastic water bottles, the air, [...] Despite these findings, experts say that little is known and understood about what impact these microplastics have on human health. A few studies have drawn associations between microplastics and poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and low male fertility. And chemicals often found in plastics are known to cause a variety of health problems, including cancers, metabolic disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and fertility issues. [...] Scientists have studied the impact of plastic on the ecological environment for decades and have raised concerns about the health effects of some chemicals used in plastics. But it’s only within the last several years that researchers have discovered the extent to which microplastics (which range from 1 nanometer, 1/80,000 the width of a strand of hair, to 5 millimeters, the size of a pencil-top eraser) and nanoplastics (which are even smaller and invisible) have become embedded in the