Microplastics

Microplastics: tiny plastics, big problem!

 

What are microplastics?

Microplastics are small pieces of plastics, less than 5 millimetres in length.

There are different types of microplastics that pollute our oceans. The first type is tiny manufactured plastics called ‘nurdles’. Nurdles are small plastic pellets that are used in factories to make larger plastic products.

Other types of manufactured microplastics are tiny microbeads. Microbeads are intentionally added to products as an exfoliant, abrasive, or as a bulking agent. Microbeads can be found in:

  • deodorants, antiperspirants and perfumes,
  • beauty products such as foundation
  • cleaning products such as washing powders.

Because these plastics are so tiny, they cannot be filtered out during normal sewage treatment works, and can be washed into our oceans.

The second type of microplastic comes from larger plastics breaking up. When littered, plastic packaging, bottles, and bags fragment. Over time they break up and keep getting smaller until they can’t be seen, but they stay in the system forever.

Microfibres are the third type of microplastic. These are tiny plastic fibres that are shed from synthetic fabrics like the polyester in our shirts. A 2015 study found that a staggering 250,000 fibres were released in a single wash of just one 500g fleece jacket!¹

 

Why are microplastics a problem?

Microplastics are filling up our oceans, turning up everywhere from Antarctic ice sheets to the depths of ocean trenches.

We know that fish, and even zooplankton – some of the smallest creatures on earth – are eating more and more microplastics. There’s a real danger that you are eating food contaminated by microplastics. Recent studies have shown that humans are ingesting microplastics from a range of sources, including shellfish.² ³

Plastics, once in the ocean, are known to absorb a range of hazardous chemicals. Over time, toxins accumulate onto floating and drifting fragmented plastic debris, and are eventually ingested by marine life.

Research is still evolving on the effects of these hazardous chemicals on marine species and humans. Recent studies have shown that corals that are in contact with plastic, are 20 times more likely to contract a disease.⁴

Research is also increasingly recognising the impact that microplastics are having on humans. Plastics have now been found in almost all human organs. Once in our bodies, microplastics can damage cells and may be linked with serious health issues.⁵

 

How can we stop microplastics from reaching the ocean?

The best way to stop the impact of microplastics is to prevent them from entering the environment.

We urgently need to ban microbeads in household products within Australia. Currently Australia has a voluntary scheme to phase out microbeads, but they are still used in a number of beauty products.

We must also tackle the problem of microfibres. At home, you can use items like ‘cora balls’ to capture microfibres in your washing machine. Some filters for washing machines exist, and it is time they became the norm.

Ultimately, we can all help by avoiding single-use plastic products and products that contain microplastics.

Find out if your products contain microbeads:

 

Sources:

  1. Niko L. Hartline, Nicholas J. Bruce, Stephanie N. Karba, Elizabeth O. Ruff, Shreya U. Sonar, and Patricia A. Holden. (2016). Microfiber Masses Recovered from Conventional Machine Washing of New or Aged Garments. Environmental Science & Technology 50 (21), 11532-11538
  2. Smith, M., Love, D. C., Rochman, C. M., & Neff, R. A. (2018). Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health. Current environmental health reports, 5(3), 375–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-018-0206-z
  3. Senathirajah, K., Attwood, S., Bhagwat, G., Carbery, M., Wilson, S., & Palanisami, T. (2021). Estimation of the mass of microplastics ingested – A pivotal first step towards human health risk assessment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 404, Part B, 124004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124004. 
  4. Joleah B. Lamb et al. ,Plastic waste associated with disease on coral reefs. Science 359,460-462(2018). https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aar3320  
  5. United Nations Environment Programme. (2020). Political Solutions to Ocean Pollution: A Toolkit for Policy Makers. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/36965/POLSOLSum.pdf

 

Header image: Fred Dott / Greenpeace

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