Big Picture
The average American consumes five grams of plastic per week, about the weight of a credit card. This is because of the prevalence of microplastics in our food, water, clothes and personal care items. Many plastics contain PFAS, also known as forever chemicals. Forever chemicals are synthetic chemicals that are virtually indestructible. These chemicals are toxic, and due to the decades of widespread global usage, they are unavoidable, having been spread all over the world by pollution. Microplastics are found everywhere, from the deepest parts of the ocean to the human placenta. Every ecosystem and organism is threatened by microplastic pollution. While microplastics' damage is in many ways irreversible, we can act now to prevent further harm. Not just for the good of humanity, but of the earth itself.
Operative Definitions
Microplastics: Particles of plastic that measure less than five millimeters, they take hundreds of thousands of years to decompose and accumulate within the environment and organisms that consume them.
PFAS: Acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are synthetic chemicals used in many products for their resistance to water and grease, but they persist in the environment and human bodies, potentially causing health issues. PFAS are also
Xenoestrogen: Synthetic or natural chemicals found in many plastics that mimic estrogen and can negatively affect the body’s natural hormonal processes.
BPA: Acronym for bisphenol A, a chemical produced in large quantities used in many plastics and synthetic materials. Evidence is emerging that suggests it may contribute to cancer in people and other illnesses.
Important Facts and Statistics
In the 1960s and 70s plastics began to quickly replace traditional materials all around the world.
Plastic is cheap, simple to produce, as well as versatile and sanitary, it is for these reasons it was considered a superior alternative to wood, steel, glass and paper.
The developed world is very reliant on plastic, it is used in everything from packaging and clothing to food and water.
Microplastics have even been found at the bottom of the ocean, demonstrating the prevalence of this toxic pollutant.
Microplastics are everywhere, in every crevice of the globe, leading to the accumulation of it in plants and eventually making its way into the food chain.
Microplastics are unavoidable as of now.
Studies point to the fact that ingesting microplastics may reduce fertility and cause cancer.
Evidence suggests that microplastics may contribute to increased infertility, irregular child development, cancer and heart diseases.
Microplastics have been found in nearly every part of the human body.
Exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the womb leads to the abnormal development of male sex organs.
Males had 60% lower sperm counts in 2011 than in 1973, the decrease became exponentially steeper after 2000; this is attributed to the near-universal exposure to industrial chemicals.
The Great Pacific garbage patch is composed of more than 90% microplastics.
5 Point Plan
Regulate the use of plastics in industry and personal care products.
Pass legislation restricting the use of low-quality and one-use plastics in the United States and on imports. If passed, these restrictions in the world's largest market would incentivize corporations and American trading partners to follow suit. Just as with lead and asbestos, plastic must be considered dangerous to both people and the environment and legislative action must be taken accordingly against plastic.
2. Enhanced waste management and pollution reduction.
After reducing the amount of plastic pollution, we can begin purifying the environment. By increasing the manpower and resources of waste management operations, both privately and publicly owned, we can begin to combat the issue of forever chemicals. Operations will be necessary worldwide, but in the United States addressing the issue of landfills, soil/food chain absorption and water pollution will be the first priorities.
3. Subsidizing research and innovation in the field of environmental purification regarding microplastics as well as their harmful effects.
This research will be essential to understanding the daunting task of combatting the pollution of microplastics. Not only will the research be focused on methods of microplastic negation but also on the mitigation of its effects on the environment as well as humanity.
4. Funding for organized public education and awareness.
In tandem with the legislation, research and management efforts, public education campaigns must be funded worldwide similar to the green movement. This issue is debatably as important, if not more so, than global warming in terms of immediate and definite impact. Microplastic pollution affects all peoples and organisms on Earth and if nothing is done to combat it, the world will be irreversibly doomed to degradation. Subsidizing the public awareness of global citizens will go far in ensuring the future of the planet's health.
5. Monitoring and enforcement.
In order to make certain that regulations are complied with, government agencies such as the FDA and the EPA will need to have specific divisions whose mission are the monitoring and recording of the microplastic levels in consumer products and the environment respectively, as well as the prosecution of any infringements on the new regulations.
Why This Initiative is Important
The negative effects of global plastic consumption have become an issue that can no longer be ignored. Everything on earth is touched by microplastic pollution. It is in our food, our water, our soil and our oceans. Microplastics are likely responsible for reducing fertility and for increased disease and cancer affliction in the developed world. These are all preventable problems. We do not have to allow this pollution to persist, we can collectively combat the effects of microplastics on the environment and humanity. The future is in our hands, but our problem is already in our bodies.
Acknowledgment: The opinions expressed are those of the individual author.
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