รายละเอียดเอกสาร

From the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches, from remote wilderness areas to the open sea, microplastics (MPs) are, quite literally, everywhere. MPs, generally considered to be plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in diameter—with even smaller nanoplastics (NPs)—have been found in human lung and placental tissues, blood, feces, meconium, and breastmilk. Researchers have quantified—and raised concerns about—MP ingestion through salt, honey, bottled and tap water, and seafood. However, recognition is growing that inhaling airborne MPs may present additional health risks. “We are drinking, eating, and breathing plastic particles,” says Messika Revel, an associate professor of environmental engineering at UniLaSalle in Rennes, France, who has studied MPs in the marine environment. A 2019 review of the literature concluded that factoring in inhalation increased estimates of the number of MPs consumed by the U.S. population overall to 74,000–121,000 particles daily, up from 39,000–52,000 when only food sources were included. But as more and varied sources of exposure are measured—and as measurement techniques improve—those figures will certainly change.