By Felix Carpio DelRosario and Kareem Halwani-Plaza

Everyday citizens are unaware of the global impacts that come from microplastics, any plastic product can become millions of microplastics. Have you thought of what microplastics are and how they can end up in our waterways? What are microplastics and where do we find them?

Microplastics are small plastic pieces with a diameter between five millimeters and one micrometer long. Microplastics can be found in many different forms, but their most common form is broken-up pieces of fibers from clothing. Microplastics don’t necessarily have to come from bigger plastic pieces, they can be integrated into a part’s design, like glitter in a phone case or tiny beads in a facial cleanser. Since most microplastic come from larger plastics, everyday objects have the potential to add to the microplastic count. While these plastics aren't inherently bad for the environment, the Earth does not have the ability to do anything with them, so they sit for almost 500 years before they degrade.

Do the benefits outweigh the cost?

Plastic has become integrated into modern day life, living without it wouldn’t be possible. Imagine not being able to wear your comfortable Nike shoes because the plastic shoelace cap can break off and become a microplastic. It’s hard to stop using plastic when it has been integrated into clothing, packaging, automotive, and medical devices, and many other things we encounter every day. Since most microplastics are the by-product of common things used in everyday life, it is not possible to eliminate microplastics. Unfortunately, some plastics become microplastics during their use. Tires are a great example because tiny pieces of rubber stick to the road as the tire rolls over it. If the tire wasn’t sticky, wheels would just slide over the surface. Plastic on its own isn't inherently bad, the problem is the amount of plastic produced. Each year about 400 million tons of plastic are created, but only 9% is from recycled plastic. This puts way more plastic on the Earth than it can handle on its own, which is why mismanaged plastic forms a big problem to the environment.

Why are they bad?

Since microplastics are so fine, it takes a complex filtration system to accurately filter them out of the waterways. This eventually finds its way back into nature and our drinking water, contaminating many food sources. While the effect of plastic on human health is still relatively unknown, there are a few additives known to be harmful to humans and animals. Additives are used to manipulate the properties of plastic for the needed task. The issue comes when these plastics start to degrade, releasing their nasty chemicals. These chemicals find their way into the water infrastructure, where humans and animals drink from. A major additive is bisphenol-A (BPA), which has the ability to mimic estrogen. BPA is used in polycarbonate (PC), which is a commonly used product due to its shatter resistance and optical properties. When exposed to UV rays from the sun, PC degrades and releases BPA. This is then washed away by the rain and flushed down the waterways. Since BPA does not get filtered out in most filtration systems, it flows into the ocean we fish from. BPA levels in fish have increased tenfold since 2011, according to multiple studies.

How do we stop this?

In 2015 the committees of house-energy and commerce passed the “Microbead-free waters act of 2015” where microbeads in cosmetic products were banned. These tiny microplastic beads are not only used in face cleansers but also in body scrubs and some toothpastes. These small beads were getting washed down the drain and into the waterways. Since then, biodegradable alternatives such as: jojoba beads, apricot kernels, ground nutshells and salt have been used as an eco-friendly replacement. BPA has proven to be very useful when looking at all the applications PC is used in. One way to decrease the amount of BPA is to only use alternatives based on the need of the product. For bike helmets PC is a good choice because it is stronger and shatter resistant, but it doesn’t make sense to need a super tough reusable water bottle. A different plastic that does not have BPA, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, can be used instead. While these will still produce microplastics, they are BPA free. One of the biggest things the general public can do is, not to buy goods with glitter in them. Glitter is a plastic that is used in decoration, makeup, clothing, toys, and many other things. It is very hard to contain and sticks to everything it has contact with. While glitter only makes up 1% of all plastic products made, it is still 4 millions tons of unnecessary plastic entering the world.

References

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https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1321/text.

User, G. (2017, March 22). Zooming in on the five types of microplastics. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from http://www.waterkeeper.ca/blog/2016/11/15/zooming-in-on-the-five-types-of-microplastics?rq=microplastic

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Guardian News and Media. (2020, October 22). Glitter is an environmental abomination. It's time to stop using it | Adrienne Matei. The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/22/glitter-environment-microplastics-hazard#:~:text=While%20glitter%20is%20damaging%20%E2%80%93%20one,remains%20of%20larger%20plastic%20items

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