Mircroplastic – is it really a threat to food safety?
Introduction
Of late, one of most global concern is Microplastic. Microplastics are the tiny pieces
of plastic which are less than 5 millimeters. This microplastic can contaminate our
environment through plastic pollution. As microplastic dose not react with the nature,
they can stay in the nature for a prolong time without breaking which some time can
enter human body thus
known
as
human
exposure.
Also
mircroplastic can be found
in the deep ocean and to
the sea creatures, in the
air.
There are many
researches currently on
going to see whether the
human exposure of micro
plastic can cause any
serious health problem or
not. However, most of the
researchers are believe
that
the
microplastic
exposure to human can
cause
serious
health
hazard. After the COVID-19 the plastic pollution rises higher due to the poor plastic
management which also boosts the microplastic problem further. Also the usage of
plastic is very popular due to the lower cost of production and verity of usage causing
the wide spread of plastic. Nowadays, plastic is most commonly used for food
packaging on the goods market. These plastic packages can break into tiny pieces and
while we consume food the microplastic can enter into our body as it does not react
our body store it. The sources of Microplastic can be primary and secondary. Primary
microplastic are in micro sized which are directly used in industry and secondary
sources are larger in size which are used in household, industry and agriculture etc.
this larger size plastic particle contacted with environment and by the weathering
process the larger particle break into smaller sizes and turned into micro/ nanoplastic.
Sources of Microplastic
Inadequate management of plastic causes the plastic contamination among fish water
and marine water. Plastic materials represent between 60% and 80% of the waste
present in the marine environment and 90% of the waste floating on the seas and
oceans. This plastic waste is a threat to the marine ecosystem as the marine species
can sallow the plastic particle which eventually ends up to human body bringing
catastrophe to both marine ecosystem and our environment.
In a recent study, people consume on an average 39000-52000 microplastic (MP) per
annum. Also we inhaled at least 74000 plastic particle, another 4000 added through
drinking water also plastic bottle may contain 9000 particle. In short, we can say that a
large number of plastic particle enter our body through various channel which
ultimately got stored on our body and can causes serious health implication.
The graphical representation shows various sources for plastic pollution which are
directly or indirectly linked with MPs.
Beforehand, we have little discuss about the primary source and secondary source of
MPs. Now we will dive more in detail about these two sources of MPs.
Primary source:
Primary microplastics(MPs) are size in less than 5 mm intentionally produced by the
plastic industry for various production purposes. This very small in size is
troublesome for the plastic industry manage in properly. Even if the industry may use
various cautious still the MPs may expose to the environment.
Unintentionally, primary MPs may found in various industrial products. The four
important sources are car tire, paint based marking, plastic resin and synthetic clothes
which are made with synthetic plastic fabrics. The car tire may leave microplastic
when they break in the road which latterly washed away with rain water followed to
many river and contaminated fish ecosystem which are our primary source of food.
During the flooded season the plastic may got exposed into our farm land which may
cause decreasing the fertility of the agricultural land.
The graph shows us the incremental growth of plastic production from 1950 to 2019
and which raised a huge concern about the food safety for human because MPs when
got directly or indirectly got exposed with the environment subsequently it is also
contaminate our food
Secondary Source:
In environment, large plastic faces many mechanical, physical and biological forces
also following oxidation by UV ray and high temperature the large particle slowly
break into small particle and that’s how secondary form of microplastics are born in
nature. Especially this degradation happening for a long time in our ocean which is
hampering our ocean ecology and sea food are getting highly exposed by the
Microplastic particle.
Therefore in the conclusion we can say that weather it is a primary or secondary
exposure our food some time are getting directly contaminated or indirectly
contaminated with microplastics which are leading us to serious question regarding
our food safety. However, the large incremental growth of the plastic production is
causing more fatality towards our future.
Microplastic and food:
Till now we have seen the surging of plastic production and the sources of
microplastics and the process in which they contaminated our food thereafter it raise a
huge concern about our food safety and health concern. Now we will discuss briefly
about some food which are contaminated through microplastics
Packaged Drinking Water/ Mineral Water:
Most of the packaged drinking water we found on our grocery shop stored in plastic
bottle. Now we know this plastic bottle are the large particle which may break into
pieces and the person who consume may have in the high risk in consuming
nano/microplastics along with the water. There are huge populations who regular or
often consume packaged drinking water. Moreover, these tiny particles are so small in
size that refinement of these plastics particle becoming more and more difficult to
implement.
Table/Sea Salt:
The primary source of salt is sea water which contains salt in its water by following
processes it is made. Due to the wide spread of plastic particle in sea water, while salt
are preparing for our cooking it is containing an absolute amount of
nano/microplastics which enter into our body inevitably. Thereafter we can say our
salt also contain, if not in large amount, microplastics.
Aquatic Species:
As a tropical country fish
is a very large amount of
our
daily
protein
consumption. Also due to
the
urbanization
and
standard food chain or
Restaurant Sea food are
becoming more popular to
us. As our rivers and deep
ocean are already in the
exposure of microplastics
its creatures are also
contaminated
with
microplastics that means when the sea or river creature take their food they also take
microplastics with the food and when we consume these fish or sea food in a fancy
restaurant we are consuming an amount of microplastics.
In conclusion we can say there are no foods available or maybe very few foods
available which are not directly contaminated with microplastics.
Health concern of this problem:
Researchers are still examining the effects of microplastics in our body though in
human body microplastics are already founded. There is no certain evidence about
health risk however the researchers are assuming that it can have serious issue on our
body
Now as it is mentioned before that microplastics are been founded throughout our
body, it can be found on our blood, saliva, liver, kidney etc.
In blood the microplastics may causes to cardio vascular diseases such as heart attack,
stroke and inflammation etc. also the chemical of plastic may causes cancer, immune
system damage, reproductive problem and genetic disorder.
Prevention of this problem:
The great problem is not incurable however our industrial production surge is making
more difficult to solve the problem therefore we must have to reduce the plastic
production slowly because the sudden and huge reduction of the plastic production
may not be effective solution. Also there need a smart management system with
integrating the AI which will help us to possible exposure. Moreover, the legislative
action should be taken. There should be a vast amount of investment to make a
substitute of alternative to plastic. The prevention method is very long term method
there is no overnight solution for it which conclude that we now have to make a safer
world for our next generation who may not get expose to this micro harmful elements.
Conclusion:
There are many sources of plastic which may be uncovered but we may hope that in
near future the bigger picture may come to us. Also we are very optimistic about the
researches which may conclude what will be the health complication of microplastics.
Moreover, we are very optimistic about the smart management of the microplastics
while building a better future for our next generation.
References:
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pharmacokinetics.
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Eddy Y. Zeng A Global Perspective on Microplastics
3) Sadia Afrin, Md. Khabir Uddin, Md. Mostafizur Rahman Microplastics
contamination in the soil from Urban Landfill site, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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1,* , Sorinel Marius Neacs,u 3,*, Carolina Negrei 2,†, Elena Moros, an 1,†,
Doina Drăgănescu 4 and Olivia-Teodora Preda 2 Microplastics: A Real
Global Threat for Environment and Food Safety: A State of the Art
Review
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Health risks, and How to protect yourself
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health impacts on humans