In the 1950s, the world produced about 1.5 million tons of plastic annually. By 2017, that number exponentially increased to over 300 million tons. Plastic is often found in food packaging, cleaning products, vehicles, and even construction because of its versatility and durability as a material. However, the way we use plastic is not sustainable for the planet and it has become a major source of pollution.
That’s because plastics never fully decompose. The material just eventually breaks down into small pieces called microplastics. These plastic pieces are so small—less than 5 millimeters in size—that they can be transported by air, accumulate on the ocean floor, or end up in the food chain. Because microplastics are everywhere, human exposure is pretty much a given. However, there is still much to know about its impacts on our health.
We’ve known for a while that microplastics can be ingested and pass through the digestive system. However, two 2022 studies, published in Environment International and Science of The Total
Environment respectively, found microplastics in human blood and living lung tissues for the first time.
Adaptado de: https://www.popsci.com/environment/microplastichuman-health/ Acessado em 21 de abril de 2022.
Plastic has been around for a while and brought about good and bad things. One of the recent
