Recently, microplastics have again attracted attention. A team of scientists led by the United States found tiny plastic fragments in ice cores drilled in the Arctic; a considerable number of plastic particles were also detected in the snow in the Arctic region... The increasingly serious microplastic pollution has reached the most remote areas of the earth, sounding the alarm for people.

Small plastic particles are everywhere

Microplastics refer to plastic fragments or particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm, which have many forms such as flakes, lines or blocks. Due to their stable chemical properties, they can exist in the environment for hundreds to thousands of years, and microplastics have become a new type of environmental pollutant.

The ocean is the "hardest hit area" of microplastic pollution. Wang Juying, deputy director of the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, said that according to current reports and research, microplastics have been found in the surface seawater, seabed sediments, nearshore, oceans and polar regions.

China has been monitoring marine microplastics since 2016. The 2018 China Marine Ecological Environment Bulletin shows that the average density of microplastics in the surface water of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and South China Sea monitoring areas is 0.42 per cubic meter, and the highest is 1.09 per cubic meter.

Microplastics are not only in the ocean. Research results published in the journal Nature Geoscience show that microplastics can reach areas far away from the initial emission source through the atmosphere, and even some pristine areas. Scientist Diony Allen and his colleagues conducted a five-month survey of a remote mountain catchment area in the French Pyrenees. A large number of microplastics were found in the atmospheric samples they collected, and the measured daily deposition rate of microplastics was 365 per square meter. Atmospheric simulations show that these plastic particles are transported from at least 100 kilometers away through the atmosphere.

Not only in the ocean and the sky, microplastics have also been found in the human body. An Austrian study confirmed that up to 9 different types of microplastics have been found in the human body. In recent years, researchers have found microplastics in foods such as oysters, mussels and fish, drinking water, sea salt and even honey. Based on the global average salt intake, an adult consumes 10.06 grams of salt or an equivalent substitute per day, so an adult consumes about 2,000 microplastics a year. Yi Lan is the plastic pollution project manager of a well-known environmental protection organization and has participated in the investigation of microplastics in salt. She said: "Microplastics are present in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. It has long been everywhere." The impact on the environment and health cannot be underestimated. The paper "Research Progress on Microplastic Pollution and Its Ecological Effects in Coastal Environments" jointly published by the Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Restoration of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the School of Resources and Environment of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that the sources of plastic particles in coastal environments are very complex, including land-based inputs such as rivers, sewage, and garbage dumps, as well as inputs from floating garbage in the ocean with ocean currents and tides. Microplastics can enter the ocean along the river and affect the aquatic ecosystem along the way.

From the perspective of land-based sources, large-scale sewage discharge and garbage dumping are one of the main sources of microplastics. Some industrial products such as detergents, daily skin care products and industrial raw materials contain a large amount of microplastic components. Their particle size is small and the density is low. They are not easy to separate or remove from sewage and will be discharged into the environment with sewage. Studies have shown that in the daily process of washing clothes, more than 1,900 microplastics can be generated in the wastewater each time, and the amount of microplastics in the unit volume of wastewater can reach more than 100 per liter.

Yi Lan said that according to the source of microplastics, they can be divided into primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics refer to those plastic pieces/particles that are very small when they are manufactured, such as soft beads in daily necessities such as toothpaste and scrub facial cleansers. Preliminary calculations show that a bottle of ordinary deep cleansing facial milk contains up to 360,000 plastic particles, and a bottle of scrub gel commonly found on the market contains up to 10.6% of plastic particles; secondary microplastics refer to plastic waste exposed on the ground or in the sea, which is decomposed into plastic fragments under the combined effects of light, wind and ocean currents.

In 2016, the United Nations Environment Assembly listed microplastics as a major global environmental issue along with global climate change and ocean acidification. What is the impact of microplastics on ecosystems and human health? Wang Juying said that it is still under study, "but I personally think that its potential impact should not be underestimated. The particle size of microplastics is less than 5 mm, and it can continue to decompose into smaller particles. The impact on human health needs to attract everyone's attention."

According to research, microplastics entering different environments can affect ecosystems and human health through physical, chemical and carrier effects. The physical and chemical effects of microplastics refer to the process in which microplastics that enter organisms directly affect the growth and reproduction of organisms by causing physical effects such as mechanical damage and blockage, as well as releasing toxic chemicals such as plasticizers; the carrier effect refers to the phenomenon that microplastics released into the environment have a negative impact on the ecosystem by enriching harmful chemicals and biological communities in the environment.

The "Progress in Research on Microplastic Pollution and Its Ecological Effects in Coastal Environments" shows that more than 100 plastic particles collected from coastal waters in 17 countries and regions have been found to adsorb metal elements, nanoparticles, etc. on their surfaces in addition to organic pollutants. The study also found that polyethylene-type microplastics adsorb more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons than polypropylene-type microplastics.

However, a control group must be found to conduct research on the impact on human health. "Everyone is very concerned about the impact of microplastics on health. In fact, it is very difficult to do such research because it is very difficult to find a person who is not exposed to plastic or does not contain plastic in his body. We do live in the age of plastic," said Von Hernandez, global coordinator of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Movement (BFFP). Although there are no specific cases that clearly point out the impact and risks of microplastics on human health, the World Health Organization recently released an analysis report on "Microplastics in Drinking Water", calling for more in-depth research on microplastics in nature and their potential impact on human health. Reducing the use of plastics from the source is the solution. Why are microplastics so common in the environment? The main reason is that plastics are durable, low-cost, and highly plastic, and are widely used in industry and daily necessities; plastics cannot be biodegraded and will only break into smaller plastic fragments. The plastic bags, mineral water bottles, bottle caps, and foam plastic lunch boxes and cups we usually use are the main sources of microplastics. So how can we reduce the impact of microplastics on the food chain, the environment, etc.? According to statistics, 80% of plastic debris in the ocean comes from land-based pollution, and 94% of the plastic that enters the ocean finally sinks to the seabed. The plastic floating on the sea surface is only the tip of the iceberg of plastic pollution in the ocean. Therefore, salvaging plastic garbage floating on the sea surface or removing plastic garbage on the beach cannot fundamentally solve microplastic pollution. Reducing the production and use of plastics from the source and preventing plastic garbage from land from entering the ocean is the fundamental solution to the problem of microplastics.

Wang Juying said that China's recently issued and implemented "Action for the Battle of Agricultural and Rural Pollution Control" clearly put forward the requirements for the recycling of mulch film, hoping to prevent land-based plastic garbage from entering the sea from the source. "We must also increase support for all sectors of society to participate in garbage sorting, strengthen the recycling and resource utilization of plastic garbage; enhance public awareness, change consumption habits, and reduce the use of disposable plastic products."

Yi Lan said that companies should shoulder their social responsibilities and promise to immediately reduce and eventually phase out disposable plastic packaging and items; redesign products and packaging, and reduce the use of disposable plastic products from the source through technological innovation, business model innovation, investment solutions, etc. At the same time, the government should implement the extended producer responsibility system as soon as possible, requiring companies to bear the corresponding environmental costs and design environmentally friendly products from the source; implement the packaging deposit system, encourage businesses and consumers to cooperate in achieving proper resource recycling, and ensure that companies implement sustainable alternatives in accordance with legal regulations. (Reporter Li He)

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