How serious is plastic pollution? The average person in the world eats one credit card per week
Sydney, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Plastic pollution has invaded the human body, according to a new study by the University of Newcastle in Australia. The average global person consumes nearly 5 grams of microplastics per week, equivalent to the plastic used in a credit card, and about 250 grams per person per year.
Microplastics refer to irregular plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size and are widely found in oceans, rivers and other bodies of water around the world. The toxic substances contained in microplastics themselves and adsorbed in water can accumulate through the food chain and may eventually enter the human body, threatening human health.
The study by the University of Newcastle in Australia, commissioned by WWF, pooled data from more than 50 studies related to microplastics. According to the report, the average person around the world ingests 1,796 microplastic particles per week -- about 5 grams by weight -- through drinking water alone, for a total intake of more than 250 grams per year.The largest source of microplastics ingested by humans is drinking water, with microplastics found worldwide in bottled water, tap water, and surface and groundwater, the report said. Among foods, the highest levels of microplastic particles were found in crustacean seafood, beer and salt.
The study shows that while plastic pollution varies from country to country, few regions are immune. In the United States, 94.4 percent of tap water samples contained plastic fibers, with an average of 9.6 fibers per liter. In Europe, 72.2% of water sampled contained plastic fibers, with an average of 3.8 plastic fibers per liter of water.
According to the report, global consumption of plastic products since 2000 has been equal to that of all the years prior to 2000 combined, and a third of this plastic ends up in the natural environment.
> Marco Lambertini, WWF Global Director General, said plastic pollution is an urgent global problem, not only polluting oceans and waterways and killing Marine life, plastic is present in all of us. He urged governments, businesses and consumers to take joint action and set international rules to tackle plastic pollution at its source.