Shaheer Ahmed
Environmental harm done by humans has started to show results. You can see problems around the world in the form of epidemics, pandemics, floods, droughts, and whatnot. It is said that nature takes revenge if you distort it. Now, we are boring the fruits of the destruction done to nature. The technological advancements to protect humans have gone way beyond. The chemicals have been destroying the environment (air, water, land). In the latest news, microplastics have been found in humans, which is alarming. In this article, we are going to share the effects of microplastics on humans.
Effects on aquatic life
Since the late 2010s, the chemicals that were thrown in the water tributaries as a residue has found their way into aquatic life’s bodies. More than 700 species are affected by plastics. Initially, the shellfish and mussels were the victims of microplastics. It was found in their guts. Certain bird populations are already thought to be threatened by widespread exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals contained in plastics. Laboratory studies of fish have found plastics can cause harm to reproductive systems and stress the liver.
Effects on humans
Microplastics can be found in salt, fresh fruit and vegetables, and drinking water. The Airborne particles can circle in the air and fall back as rain.
Dick Vethaak who is a professor emeritus of ecotoxicology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and co-author of the blood study said, “Plastics should not be in your blood. We live in a multi-particle world. The trick is to figure out how much plastics contribute to that particle burden and what does that mean.”
Some of the major effects include:
- lung diseases (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- allergic reactions and cell death
- cancer
We need to take care of our environment. It is already very late and might be irreversible. Let’s step up and play our part.
