The report highlights the vast scale of microplastic exposure in daily life in what experts are calling a “microplastic storm” from overlooked and emerging sources. Funded by Plastic Soup Foundation and The Flotilla Foundation, ‘Exploring Everyday Microplastic Exposures’, the first-of-its-kind report draws on over 350 peer-reviewed studies and concludes that human exposure is continuous and global. The findings lay bare an exposure crisis through mapping microplastic release across five categories of everyday life: outdoor sources, indoor environments, children’s products, healthcare and personal care, and food and drink. By highlighting a continuous flow of particles generated from overlooked and emerging sources the report reframes the plastics crisis as a systemic exposure issue embedded across modern society. Among the report’s most striking findings is evidence that emerging climate interventions could make microplastic exposure significantly worse. For example, stratospheric aerosol injection – a form of solar geoengineering being advanced by countries including the United Kingdom and United States – involves dispersing vast quantities of particles high into the atmosphere. Multiple patents already exist describing the release of particles including micro sized polymeric particles at altitudes of up to 20 km in the atmosphere, creating a potentially ‘tera scale’ source of intentionally added airborne microplastics and fallout. The research identifies that rainfall already contains microplastics with wear and tear from car tires and synthetic textiles and clothing contributing to atmospheric pollution. In hospitals, plastic particles may be introduced into the body via devices and treatments, with microplastic fallout in operating rooms recorded at up to 9,258 particles per square meter during a single shift. Cardiac catheters, silicone breast implants, orthopedic implants or intravenous fluid all cited as sources with the potential of inadvertently dosing patients with microplastics. Startlingly, premature babies fed intravenously in neonatal units are estimated to receive up to 115 microplastic particles over a 72-hour feeding period from the infusion circuits alone. Baby formula intake exposes babies to microplastics at levels from <1 to 17 microplastics per gram formula with packaging types playing a role in releasing the observed microplastics. Children’s products are also of significant concern – building bricks, baby play mats and other products for children releasing PET, polypropylene, polyethylene and PVC into a child’s living environment. As children naturally ingest more settled dust during play and breathe in more air per kilogram bodyweight, their exposure is proportionally higher than adults. Another unexpected indoor exposure is via paint. Plastic is the main component of many paint products and such paint emit microplastics when it wears down or when old layers are scraped off. A single coat applied across 100 square meters is estimated to contain between 17 and 68 quadrillion polymeric particles.
The report ‘Exploring Everyday Microplastic Exposures‘ reveals shocking scale of hidden global microplastic exposure.
The report highlights the vast scale of microplastic exposure in daily life in what experts are calling a “microplastic storm” from overlooked and emerging sources. Funded by Plastic Soup Foundation and The Flotilla Foundation, ‘Exploring Everyday Microplastic Exposures’, the first-of-its-kind report draws on over 350 peer-reviewed studies and concludes that human exposure is continuous and global. The findings lay bare an exposure crisis through mapping microplastic release across five categories of everyday life: outdoor sources, indoor environments, children’s products, healthcare and personal care, and food and drink. By highlighting a continuous flow of particles generated from overlooked and emerging sources the report reframes the plastics crisis as a systemic exposure issue embedded across modern society. Among the report’s most striking findings is evidence that emerging climate interventions could make microplastic exposure significantly worse. For example, stratospheric aerosol injection – a form of solar geoengineering being advanced by countries including the United Kingdom and United States – involves dispersing vast quantities of particles high into the atmosphere. Multiple patents already exist describing the release of particles including micro sized polymeric particles at altitudes of up to 20 km in the atmosphere, creating a potentially ‘tera scale’ source of intentionally added airborne microplastics and fallout. The research identifies that rainfall already contains microplastics with wear and tear from car tires and synthetic textiles and clothing contributing to atmospheric pollution. In hospitals, plastic particles may be introduced into the body via devices and treatments, with microplastic fallout in operating rooms recorded at up to 9,258 particles per square meter during a single shift. Cardiac catheters, silicone breast implants, orthopedic implants or intravenous fluid all cited as sources with the potential of inadvertently dosing patients with microplastics. Startlingly, premature babies fed intravenously in neonatal units are estimated to receive up to 115 microplastic particles over a 72-hour feeding period from the infusion circuits alone. Baby formula intake exposes babies to microplastics at levels from <1 to 17 microplastics per gram formula with packaging types playing a role in releasing the observed microplastics. Children’s products are also of significant concern – building bricks, baby play mats and other products for children releasing PET, polypropylene, polyethylene and PVC into a child’s living environment. As children naturally ingest more settled dust during play and breathe in more air per kilogram bodyweight, their exposure is proportionally higher than adults. Another unexpected indoor exposure is via paint. Plastic is the main component of many paint products and such paint emit microplastics when it wears down or when old layers are scraped off. A single coat applied across 100 square meters is estimated to contain between 17 and 68 quadrillion polymeric particles.
Links:
Shocking report about our hidden microplastic exposure
Gegevens