Microplastics: A macro problem?

Photo source @EnergyIndustryReview

“Microplastic in Atlantic Ocean ‘could weigh 21 million tonnes’”; “Microplastic particles now discoverable in human organs”; “Microplastics have moved into virtually every crevice on Earth”.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, there is currently little known about microplastics or the consequences they can have on the environment and human health due to a lack of research. However it is evident from the growing news coverage and their titles that there is a growing concern over microplastics and the potential negative consequences they may have.

What are Microplastics?

Microplastics are plastic debris that are less than 5mm in length and can come in two forms: primary and secondary. A third of all microplastics are primary which means they have been manufactured to be small in order to fulfil a purpose, for example an exfoliant in face washes. In comparison, two thirds are secondary microplastics which originate from larger plastic being broken down.

Nanoplastics are also prevalent and are even smaller than microplastics and are particles of plastic created from the breakdown of plastic objects; ranging from 100nm to 1000nm in size. Due to the limitations on scientific equipment, there is a lack of field studies undertaken in regards to nanoplastics which means the spread and impact still remains unknown.

Risk to the Environment

The most concerning fact is that the pollution of microplastics is not isolated to a region or environment but instead has spread globally without our realisation.

As the pollution spreads indiscriminately it has also been discovered recently in an ‘ocean-sieving expedition’ in the world’s second largest ocean, the Atlantic, has found within the top 200m there could be up to 21 million tonnes of plastic particles. The situation is so severe that even in the Mariana Trench, famous for containing the deepest known points on Earth, has been found to be have high levels of man-made plastic.

Microplastic contamination has even been found in the remote Alpine Mountains in Switzerland in which microplastic was found in 90% of the soils across 29 different nature reserves. An abundance of microplastic pollution has even been found in the snow in the Arctic with 12,000 microplastic particles being found per litre in samples of Arctic sea ice.

The fact that microplastics have managed to contaminate the most extreme and unpopulated environments demonstrates how polluted the world has become. This demonstrates that there is not only the risk of consumption by humans but also by the majority of species on the planet as there is no environment that is safe from being polluted.

However, as previosuly stated, the issue of microplastics has only recently been brought to attention and there is subsequently a lack of research into the potential short term and long-term consequences of such high levels of pollution.

Risk to Humans

Due to their size, microplastics are easily ingested by all forms of life. Not only can microplastics travel through the food web but they could potentially give off chemicals and harmful pollutants which could build up in the environment, animals and humans alike.

In June 2019, a study found that people eat 50,000 microplastics each year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) lists thee forms of potential hazards: physical particle, chemicals and microbial pathogens in biofilms. From the current understanding the three potential hazards from drinking water are believed to be of low concern for human health but this only due to the current understanding provided by minimal research.

However, similarly to a the lack of research in the environmental impact of microplastic pollution, there is very little known about the possible consequences for ingestion for humans.

Key Legal Notes

• 2030 Sustainable Development Goals:

Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Goal 13 Climate Action

Goal 14 Life Below Water

Goal 15 Life on Land

• Clean Seas Pact 2017

In 2017, UN Environment engaged 193 states in the Clean Seas Pact in order to engage Governments, public and private sectors alike in order to combat plastic pollution in the seas and oceans. However, due to the fact that most international treaties are not binding, the effectiveness can be called in to question as there are no real consequences for failing to engage in reducing marine pollution.

• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (MARPOL)

MARPOL is the only international treaty that addresses marine debris on a global scale. It created a ban in 1988 from ships dumping plastic waste in the oceans. Laura Parker highlights in her article for National Geographic that a study in 2015 found that up to 80% of 8 million tonnes of plastic entered the seas and oceans from the land; demonstrating how the international treaty could be considered redundant.

Tying it all together!

The link between human rights and global heath is ever present due to the connection created by the right to health. If microplastics are proven to cause serious adverse effects on humans then it is likely that there will be a major breach of peoples’ fundamental right to health.

Microplastics and nanoplastics are likely to create substantial barriers to the political aims of the UN seen in the Sustainable Development Goals as it invariably impacts a large proportion of their goals. Moreover, although microplastic pollution in the marine environment has gained particular attention from the international community, it is yet to result in any real commitment being made.