Microplastics
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. Microplastics can be found everywhere now, but are especially starting to be plentiful in freshwater ecosystems. Some are from additives in personal care and cosmetic products called microbeads, which serve to "exfoliate" your skin when applying. (HABB) They are also formed from the breakdown of larger plastic products, like if some pieces broke off and made their way into the environment. Other types of microplastics are found in many different things, even things you wouldn't think. These include tires, synthetic clothing, tennis balls, laundry and dishwasher pods, cigarettes, glitter, wet wipes, tea bags, etc. (Conversation.com) So may things used throughout our daily lives are not just made of plastic which can harm the environment, but also contain these tiny microplastics that are even more harmful because they are not able to be as seen and are not able to be removed. Plastics in general can get into oceans and freshwater from flying out of trashcans, landfill sites, and also littering. They find their way into sewers and small bodies of water and eventually flow down out into our oceans and large bodies of water. That's where they then do the most damage. Microplastics are problematic and pose a threat to the environment because they are polluting the earth's natural habitats with non natural waste. This plastic cannot be broken down over time and instead stays in the water or area, which can pose a threat to the wildlife living there. Animals like fish and other sea creatures are affected negatively by these microplastics because they can get inside their body when they inhale or open their mouth. Then when that plastic infested animal is eaten by a predator, that animal then has plastic inside their body system. Microplastics have even been found in some fish sold at supermarkets and is starting to become a concern of what we can put in our body. This causes sea life to die, which hurts the environment as a whole down the line. Not to mention it also has a negative affect on how clean our freshwater is, which we use for drinking water, irrigation, cleaning, etc. Due to microplastics' small size, they are not able to be removed by treatment. They have proven to be impossible to remove, and the more plastic we use, the more pieces broken down and into our water. The more microplastics in our soap and other toiletry items, the more of those tiny pieces end up somehow in our water.
Throughout my day, there was so many more things I used that were plastic than I had thought. It got me thinking about what things are made of and when I'm done with them, what harm they cause to the environment. I went and took a look at my soaps and shampoos and luckily I buy the kind that does not contain microbeads. What else is in there that can harm the environment, I don't know. The plastic bottle itself can end up our bodies of water. It made me think and made me see that we use plastic for a lot of things. This assignment has made me want to change what I use in hopes of lessening the pollution of microplastics in our waters.
References:
Haab, S., & Haab, K. (n.d.). The environmental impacts of microplastics: An investigation of microplastic pollution in North Country waterbodies. Adventure Scientists. https://www.adventurescientists.org/uploads/7/3/9/8/7398741/haabhaab2016_environmental_impacts_of_microplastics.pdf
Sharon George Lecturer in Environmental Science, and Deirdre McKay Senior Lecturer in Geography. “Ten 'Stealth Microplastics' to Avoid If You Want to Save the Oceans.” The Conversation, 15 Nov. 2021, https://theconversation.com/ten-stealth-microplastics-to-avoid-if-you-want-to-save-the-oceans-90063.
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