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14 Sep, 2019
The Omnipresent Microplastic Pollution
Bakelite, first plastic revolutionised the way we lead our lives a century ago. Humans found a material which was mouldable as well strong, but little did the men of previous generations knew it will become so popular as well as harmful.
Plastic industry is huge, and we have some plastic in each of us, yes microplastics or plastic less than 5 mm in size has been found in human stools. Let’s not forget they are already a part of food chain, thanks to the dumping of waste in water bodies. The microplastics are ingested by fishes and so on. Microplastics have also been found in air we breathe or the soil in which we grow our crops. Microplastics are also found in our drinking water as per World Health Organization (WHO). As we realise this is indeed a synthetic material which is by all means inedible is going to have long lasting health impacts, we are not clearly aware of.
WHO also agrees that a lot of research is now required to be focused on the health implications these microplastics are causing. Till we understand this completely at least the use of plastics in our life need to be regulated. Be it single use plastic water bottles, plastic carry bags or the plastic mobile cover we have in our hands; the omnipresent microplastics have made our life easy but at the cost of our own lives.
References:
• WHO calls for more research into microplastics and a crackdown on plastic pollution. www.who.int Read more...
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