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MICROPLASTICS

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25 views15 pages

MICROPLASTICS

Uploaded by

djarjayjohn
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MICROPLASTICS

RYNHELLE JOHN GARANCHON BSEE 2B


What is MICROPLASTICS?

 Extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the


environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown
of consumer products and industrial waste.
 These are plastic fragments that are less than 5mm in
length.
 Plastics degrade slowly, often over hundreds if not
thousands of years. This increases the probability of
microplasticsbeing ingested and incorporated into,
andaccumulatedin, the bodies and tissues of many
organisms.
2 CLASSIFICATION OF MICROPLASTICS

PRIMARY MICROPLASTICS SECONDARY MICROPLASTICS

Primary microplastics are small pieces of Secondary microplastics are particles


plastic that are purposefully manufactured, that result from the breakdown of
These plastic fragments or particles that are larger plastic items, such as water
already 5.0 mm in size or less before bottles. This breakdown is caused by
entering the environment. exposure to environmental factors,
mainly the sun’s radiation and ocean
waves.
WHERE MICROPLASTICS CAN BE FOUND?

OCEANS
There is truly a staggering amount of microplasticsin our world’s
oceans. A 2015 study estimated that there was between 93 and 236
thousand metric tons of microplasticsin the world’s oceans.

The study, using data on surface plastic concentration (pieces of


plastic km-2) from 1972-1985 n=60 and 2002-2012 n=457 within
the same plastic accumulation zone, found the mean plastic
concentration increase between the two sets of data, including a
10-fold increase of 18,160 to 189,800 pieces of plastic km-2.
WHERE MICROPLASTICS CAN BE FOUND?

FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM

• Though there have only been a few studies of microplasticsin freshwater ecosystems,
microplastics are being increasingly detected in the world’s aquatic environments.
• The first study on microplastics in freshwater ecosystems was published in 2011 that
found an average of 37.8 fragments per square meter of lake huron sediment samples.
• Additionally, studies have found mp(microplastic) to be present in all of the great lakes
with an average concentration of 43,000 mp particle km-2.
• •The highest concentration of microplasticever discovered in a studied freshwater
ecosystem was recorded in the rhine river at 4000 mp particles kg-1.
WHERE MICROPLASTICS CAN BE FOUND?

SOIL
• A substantial portion of microplastics are expected to end up in the world’s
soil, yet very little research has been conducted on microplastics in soil.
 • Some speculation that fibrous secondary microplastics from washing
machines could end up in soil through the failure of water treatment
plants to completely filter out all of the microplastic fibers.
 •Geophagoussoil fauna, such as earthworms, mites, and collembolan
could contribute to the amount of secondary microplasticpresent in soil by
converting consumed plastic debris into microplastic via digestive
processes.
WHERE MICROPLASTICS CAN BE FOUND?

IN THE AIR
 Airborne microplastics have been detected in
theatmosphere, as well as indoors and outdoors.
 A 2017 study found indoor airborne microfiber
concentrations between 1.0–60.0 microfibers per cubic
meter (33% of which were found to be microplastics).
HOW THE MICROPLASTICS ENTER THE
ENVIRONMENT?
•THE EXISTENCE OF MICROPLASTICS IN THE ENVIRONMENT IS OFTEN ESTABLISHED
THROUGH AQUATIC STUDIES. THESE INCLUDE TAKING PLANKTON SAMPLES, ANALYZING
SANDY AND MUDDY SEDIMENTS, OBSERVING VERTEBRATE AND INVERTEBRATE
CONSUMPTION, AND EVALUATING CHEMICAL POLLUTANT INTERACTIONS.[20]THROUGH SUCH
METHODS, IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT THERE ARE MICROPLASTICSFROM MULTIPLE SOURCES
IN THE ENVIRONMENT.
SOURCES
* Sewage treatment plants
• Car and Truck tires
• Cosmetics Industry
• Clothing
• Manufacturing
• Fishing industry
• Packaging and Shipping
• Plastic Water bottles
EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

ACCORDING TO A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE PUBLISHED BY THE


EUROPEAN UNION’SSCIENTIFIC ADVICE MECHANISMIN 2019, MICROPLASTICSARE NOW PRESENT IN
EVERY PART OF THE ENVIRONMENT. WHILE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF WIDESPREAD ECOLOGICAL
RISK FROM MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION YET, RISKS ARE LIKELY TO BECOME WIDESPREAD WITHIN A
CENTURY IF POLLUTION CONTINUES AT ITS CURRENT RATE.
EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

MARINE HEALTH
 Scientists have documented over 600 species impacted by plastic marine
debris.
 The majority of this debris causes harm by ingestion.
 As plastic debris floats around in the ocean, they pick up algae and odors that
mimic the smell of food, attracting marine animals to eat them.
 Plastic is also good at collecting pbts, and toxic chemicals such as ddt that
persist in the environment even when they are no longer used.
 As microplastics float around the ocean, they easily collect pbts. When marine
animals ingest plastic, they ingest pbts, which bioaccumulatein their tissues.
When we eat fish, we also eat most of the toxins they’ve ingested in their
lifetime.
EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

HUMAN HEALTH

 Fish is a significant source of protein for the human population, accounting for 6.1%
of all protein consumed globally in 2007.
 Themicroplastics ingested by fish and crustaceans can be subsequently consumed by
humans as the end of the food chain.
 In a study done at the state university of new york, 18 fish species were sampled and
all species showed some level of plastics in their systems.
 Ithas also been thought that microplasticsbcan act as a vector for pathogens as well
as heavy metals.
 More specifically, pregnant women in particular are in danger of causing birth defects
to male infants such as anogenital distance, penile width, and testicular descent.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

BIODEGRADATION
 In this process, microorganisms consume and decompose synthetic polymers
with using degrading enzymes.
 These plastics can then be used in the form of energy and as a source of
carbon once broken down.
 The microbes could potentially be used to treat sewage wastewater, which
would decrease the amount of microplastics that pass through into the
surrounding environments.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

USE AS ENERGY
 Some researchers have proposed incinerating plastics to use as energy, which is known
as energy recovery. As opposed to losing the energy from plastics into the atmosphere in
landfills, this process turns some of the plastics back into energy that can be used.
Recycling plastics is considered a more efficient solution.
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT RECYCLING

 Increasing education through recycling campaigns is


another proposed solution for microplastic contamination.
 Especially in urban environments where there are often
large concentrations of plastic waste.
 If recycling efforts are increased, a cycle of plastic use and
reuse would be created to decrease our waste output and
production of new raw plastics.

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