Surrounded By Nano-Plastics!
Article Written By: Reyanne Almarimi
Edited By: Sophia Lin
Date Published: June 10th, 2024
Picture of Nano-plastics being magnified. Credits to Canva.
Plastics have been in-use for over a hundred years now, and just in recent years, scientists are starting to discover that plastic can worsen our bodies from the outside and in. Researchers discovered that plastic could cause some toxicity and cancer-causing changes in the body and that we are constantly exposed to plastics everywhere (even more than you may think).
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Many people know that the earth is getting heavily polluted by the day, but many also do not know that the harm that is done to the ecosystem is harming us biologically too. Researchers estimate that most of our exposure to Nano-plastics comes from the air around us. These Nano-plastics are less than 100 nanometers wide, “About the size of a virus,” a researcher comments. Due to the Nano-plastics being in the air, another way that can enter the body is by eating leafy plants that collected them from outside.
Nano-plastics were also found in water as hundreds and thousands of plastic particles per liter (quart) of water. These are the main ways that we are exposed to Nano-plastics, aside from foods and objects that were covered with plastic packaging, like water bottles, snacks, in-store baked goods, and many more daily things we use. This is also why recycling is heavily encouraged.
Nano-plastics in bottled water. Credits to Google Images.
​ There is a growing concern about continuous exposure to environmental micro- and Nano-plastics (MNPLs) would cause to humans in the future. Results of heavy exposer suggest that MNPLs can cause health effects like oxidative stress, inflammation, immune dysfunction, metabolism, impaired cell proliferation, abnormal organ development, etc.
CITATIONS
1. Mediavilla, D. (2024a, March 8). New Study reveals the first signs that nanoplastics harm human health. EL PAIS. https://english.elpais.com/health/2024-03-08/new-study-reveals-the-first-signs-that-nanoplastics-harm-human-health.html