Baasis, Jessica G.

12-ARISTOTLE(STEM)

Microplastics
Microplastics are small piece of plastic which have a size of 5 millimeters (0.2 inch) or
smaller. Microplastics may have been produced at that small size, or their size may be the result
of the breakdown of water bottles, plastic bags or other things that started out larger. Nowadays,
it recognized that has a threat to human life and aquatic animals.

In 1970s, scientists have already warned of the dangers of plastic pollution, yet we are still facing
the same problem. A recent study in 2017 by Roland Geyer and co-authors estimated that 8,300
million metric tons (Mt) of “virgin plastics” have been produced to date. As of 2015,
approximately 6,300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, only around 9% of which had been
recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If
production trends and waste management continues, an estimated 12,000 Mt of plastics will
eventually end up in landfills or in natural environment. It can be recalled that plastic wastes are
not decomposed at all but only degraded in smaller fragments called “microplastics”. There is a
growing interest in terms of research on microplastics for two main reasons: 1) they can
accumulate and remain stable in the aquatic environment and 2) they can reach human food
sources (e.g. seafoods) and eventually may affect human metabolism.

“It’s not just local pollution, or something only happening in cities,” says study coauthor
Steve Allen. He is an atmospheric and environmental scientist at EcoLab. Plastic isn’t staying
where people put it. “Invisible pollution is transporting its way around the world.”

Journal: S. Allen et al. Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics

in a remote mountain catchment. Nature Geoscience. Published online April
15, 2019. doi:10.1038/s41561-019-0335-5.

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/microplastics-are-blowing-wind