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Microplastics are found in food, drinks and even the air we breathe, with the average person ingesting around 2,000 pieces of microplastic each week – equivalent to the weight of a credit card. The long-term effects on humans are not yet known, but scientists advise recycling and avoiding excessive plastic packaging.
In one of the opening scenes of the 1967 film The Graduate, Benjamin Braddock has just graduated from college when one of his parents’ friends pulls him aside at a party to give him some advice about his future. He has only one word for young Ben: “Plastic”. More than 50 years later, we have more plastic than we can handle. In addition to a worldwide plastic waste problem, scientists now say we eat, swallow and breathe tiny particles of ‘microplastics’ every day. A 2019 study found that the average person ingests about 2,000 small pieces each week, or about 5 grams, which is comparable to the weight of a credit card.
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The long-term effects of microplastics on the human body are not fully understood, said researchers at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Microplastics are found in drinking water, as well as foods and beverages such as shellfish, salt and beer.
If you drink bottled water instead of tap water, you could be taking in an additional 90,000 microplastic particles each year.
More than 330 tons of plastic are produced every year. That number is predicted to triple by 2050. Consumers should recycle as much as possible and avoid buying products that use excessive plastic packaging.
