Microplastic particles — at levels ingested by people via their food — can cause cell death, cellular wall damage and allergic reactions in humans, a study has warned.
Researchers from University of Hull reviewed 17 prior studies about the toxicological impact of microplastics upon human cells, in a laboratory environment.
Next, they compared microplastics found in drinking water, fish and table salt to determine the damage.
The team found that the extent of the cellular damage increased with the amount of microplastics absorbed — while irregularly-shaped particles were more harmful.
Experts warn that the impact of microplastics on the human body is still unknown. It’s not even known for how long.
Microplastic particles — at levels ingested by people via their food — can cause cell death, cellular wall damage and allergic reactions in humans, a study has warned. Image: A heaped dinner plate containing shredded plastic. This represents the average amount of plastic consumed by humans in a given year.
A team of researchers from University of Hull examined 17 prior studies to determine the toxicological impact of microplastics on cells. Picture: The microplastics are introduced to the waterways by a number of methods and remain suspended in the liquid. They can then be taken by fish or plants and absorbed into the liquid to make it our food.
MICROPLASTICS IN FOODS WE EAT
Study after study revealed that microplastics are found in broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, and apples.
There are also concerns that root vegetables, such as radishes and turnips, may be contaminated by the refuse, raising fears about health effects.
It is believed that the tiny pollutants were introduced to the plant roots with water, and later traveled up the stems to the other parts of the plant.
This was long the position of experts who claimed that they could not fit into the root pores.
Microplastics in meats such as chicken, can fish, and shellfish have been previously identified.
The review was conduced by environmental health researcher Evangelos Danopoulos of the Hull York Medical School and his colleagues.
The Guardian was told by Mr Danopoulos that harmful effects on cells often lead to health problems.
“We ought to be worried. Right now, there isn’t really a way to protect ourselves.’
In the future, the expert said, it may be possible to determine which foods are the most contaminated microplastics and thus avoid them.
We can, however, stop making plastic waste.
As Mr Danopoulos cautioned, at the moment, ‘once the plastic is in the environment, we can’t really get it out.’
According to the team’s analysis, the damage caused by microplastics could also be increased if they were not shaped spherically.
This information could help guide future studies on cell damage caused by pollutants.
In laboratory experiments, spherical microparticles have traditionally been used. However, this may be less powerful than many of the counterparts that are found in real life.
With their initial study complete, Mr Danopoulos said, the next step will be be to look at the cellular damage caused by microplastics on living animals in a lab setting.
According to the expert, studies on microplastics’ health effects are growing rapidly.
It’s exploding, and with good reason. We are exposed to these particles every day: we’re eating them, we’re inhaling them,’ explained Mr Danopoulos.
‘And we don’t really know how they react with our bodies once they are in.’
‘This work helps inform where research should be looking to find real-world effects,’ University of Strathclyde microplastics researcher Steve Allen — who was not involved in the present study — told the Guardian.
‘It was interesting that shape was so important to toxicity, as it confirms what many plastic pollution researchers believed would be happening — that [the]It is possible that pristine spheres created in laboratory experiments are not showing real-world results.
Journal of Hazardous Materials has published all findings.
What further research is needed to assess the spread and impact of MICROPLASTICS on society?
According to the World Health Organisation, 2019’s report “Microplastics In Drinking Water” outlines many research areas that can shed light into how wide-spread this issue is and what we can do to prevent these harmful particles from reaching our waterways.
What is the prevalence of microplastics in your country?
Following research could clarify microplastics’ presence in water and other freshwater sources.
- For a complete assessment of human exposure, it is necessary to have more information about the presence of microplastics within drinking-water.
- For studies on the occurrence of microplastics, they must employ quality-assured techniques to identify numbers, shapes and sizes of particles. The researchers should determine whether microplastics originate from freshwater or the treatment, distribution, bottling, or abstraction of drinking water. In the beginning, they should concentrate on water that is most vulnerable to contamination by particulates.
- Better data about fresh water would make it possible to quantify freshwater inputs and identify major sources. This could be added to the drinking-water research. The development of reliable methods that track and identify origins may be required.
- It is necessary to have a standard set of methods for analysing and sampling microplastics in water and freshwater.
- A significant gap exists in our knowledge about nanoplastics in aquatic environments. This gap can be addressed by developing standard methods to sample and analyse nanoplastics.
Are there any health risks associated with microplastics
Water treatment is effective at removing particles but there are not enough data to identify microplastics. The following gaps in data regarding water treatment are needed to support the assessment of human health risks and to provide management options.
- It is important to continue research in order to better understand how microplastics behave under various wastewater treatment conditions (such as clarification processes and oxidation), and what the effects of different operating circumstances are on their removal efficacy.
- We need to be able to identify the role of particle composition in water treatment and distribution. It is important to consider the role of microplastics in the water treatment system, and the contribution that microplastics make from these processes.
- After standard nanoplastics removal methods are developed, more information is required to better understand their presence in water and wastewater.
- We need to be able to see the interplay between microplastic concentrations and turbidity throughout treatment.
- It is important to research the impact of microplastics returning to the environment via sludge, and other treatment waste streams.
To better understand microplastic-associated biofilms and their significance, the following research could be carried out:
- Further studies could be conducted on the factors that influence the composition and potential specificity of microplastic-associated biofilms.
- Researchers could also examine the factors that influence biofilm formation on plastic surface, microplastics included, as well as how they vary between plastic materials and which organisms are more likely to bind to plastic surfaces when used in freshwater systems.
- It is possible to conduct research to understand how microplastics can transport pathogenic bacteria over longer distances, as well as the rate at which they are degraded in freshwater systems.
- Researchers could examine the possibility of horizontal transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes within plastisphere microorganisms in comparison to biofilms such as those found at WWTPs.
Water treatment can stop microplastics getting into our water supplies
Water treatment is effective at removing particles but there are not enough data to identify microplastics. The following gaps in data regarding water treatment are needed to support the assessment of human health risks and to provide management options.
- Further research is required to determine the fate of microplastics in different water and wastewater treatment systems (such clarification and oxidation), under different operational conditions, such as optimal and suboptimal operations and the impact of particle shape, size and chemical composition on the removal efficacy.
- We need to be able to identify the role of particle composition in water treatment and distribution. Consider the roles of microplastic separation and abrasion within water treatment systems as well as microplastic contributions from actual processes.
- After standard nanoplastics removal methods are developed, more information is required to better understand their presence in water and wastewater.
- We need to be able to see the interplay between microplastic concentrations and turbidity throughout treatment.
- To understand how microplastics could be returned to the environment by sewage and other waste streams, research is necessary.
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