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When plastic breaks down into pieces measuring 5 millimeters (0.2 in) or smaller, these tiny fragments are known as microplastics. Often imperceptible, they are rapidly becoming a major concern for both the scientific community and the environment.
This is not someone else's issue—every individual is impacted by plastic particles every day, whether through food, beverages, or even recreational activities.
10. Interactive Museum Faces Fines
When the traveling Museum of Ice Cream set up in Miami Beach in 2018, few anticipated that the authorities would intervene. The event was meant to offer a lighthearted celebration of the beloved frozen treat, with one of the interactive features being a pool filled with artificial sprinkles for families to enjoy.
Visitors eagerly flocked to the lifelike candy pool. While the fun wasn’t the issue, it was the unexpected appearance of colorful particles in the nearby storm drains that sparked concern from local officials.
It turned out that after enjoying the sprinkle-filled pool, the visitors unknowingly left behind small plastic pieces wherever they went. City officials were alarmed by the sprinkles in the drains, fearing they could contaminate local waterways.
The Museum of Ice Cream was hit with a $1,000 fine, prompting the institution to take action. They employed cleaners, ensured sprinkles were blown off guests as they left, installed nets to catch stray sprinkles, and began investigating eco-friendly alternatives like biodegradable sprinkles.
9. Plastic in Salt Shakers
Microplastics are hidden within salt grains, and sometimes even inside them. As a commercially produced item, sea salt carries plastic pellets that end up in salt shakers worldwide. When someone seasons their meal, they unknowingly add polypropylene and polyethylene—two of the most common fibers found in sea salt. These fibers originate from sources like grocery bags, plastic bottles and caps, and lunch boxes.
A study conducted in 2018 revealed that the issue of contaminated commercial salt is a global one, with a limited understanding of the potential health risks for humans. However, it’s clear that no one wants to consume nanoparticles from substances that take centuries to naturally break down.
Furthermore, previous studies have shown that accumulating microplastics can lead to particle, chemical, and microbial dangers. Considering the widespread use of salt, the risk of microplastics affects nearly everyone.
8. The Glitter Ban
Glitter is a staple of parades, festivals, and craft-loving children. However, not everyone shares the same enthusiasm for the sparkling metallic particles. Scientists, who are well aware of the growing microplastic issue, detest glitter. In fact, they’re so passionate about it that they’re advocating for a global ban on its use.
Why?
It may not be immediately apparent, but these glimmering flecks are actually microplastics. They may resemble shiny foil, but they are made from a plastic polymer known as polyethylene terephthalate, also marketed under the name Mylar.
In 2018, a network of 19 nursery schools in England decided to ban glitter due to environmental concerns. Instead, children began using more eco-friendly materials, such as colored grains, for their arts and crafts projects.
However, glitter-free schools are not easily achieved. A survey revealed that most school administrators didn’t take the matter seriously, and only one in four nurseries considered eliminating glitter from their classrooms.
7. The Deepest Creatures Revealed
When scientists trapped crustaceans from the ocean’s deepest trenches, they were shocked to find man-made fibers in their digestive systems. In 2017, researchers selected six deep-sea trenches, including the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, home to the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep.
Challenger Deep, a habitat for amphipods, a species of crustacean, lies 11,000 meters (36,000 ft) beneath the surface. Every single amphipod tested was found to have consumed microplastics. Although the contamination rate wasn't 100 percent in the other five trenches, none of their amphipod populations were free of plastic.
Even the trench with the lowest contamination, the New Hebrides trench in the southwestern Pacific, showed that half of the animals had consumed plastics. These included nylon fibers, rayon, lyocell, and ramie. The crustaceans also mistook PVC, a material used for pipes and credit cards, for food.
Scientists also discovered polyethylene (the material found in plastic bags) inside the stomachs of amphipods. The Mariana Trench group now holds the record for the deepest occurrence of microplastic ingestion.
6. The Enormous Plankton Droppings
Researchers have uncovered how surface-floating beads end up on the ocean floor. The process is quite bizarre. It involves a species of giant plankton, an organism usually too small to be seen with the naked eye.
This particular species from the Pacific is 10 centimeters (4 in) long and lives within a mucus web that can span up to 1 meter (3.25 ft) across. This 'house' also acts as a filtration system, trapping food while the creature filters the surrounding water.
In 2017, researchers guided a submersible to giant plankton in Monterey Bay and fed them microplastics. The gooey creatures were then collected and placed in a tank to observe the effects.
The plankton acted like plastic compactors. Their digestive systems compressed the particles, resulting in large plastic pellets that they eventually excreted. The plankton then shed their pellet-laden homes, which sank to the tank's bottom.
This provided a potential explanation for a long-standing mystery—how plastic reaches the ocean floor. What is certain, however, is the risk of microplastics reappearing on our dinner plates. Marine creatures consume the discarded homes and pellets, introducing plastic into the food chain through yet another route.
5. The Great Arctic Release
The frozen expanse of the Arctic is known for doing things on a grand scale. Unfortunately, this also applies to waste. In 2018, scientists released a study on ice core samples collected in previous years, which revealed a concerning situation.
The samples revealed an alarming concentration of microplastics in sea ice. Researchers counted 17 different types of particles, totaling 12,000 per liter. The cores, taken from various locations, suggested that microplastics have now infiltrated every part of the ocean.
On a positive note, the study found that sea ice acts as a trap for vast amounts of microplastics, preventing filter feeders from ingesting them and contaminating the food chain. However, with climate change melting these ice structures, there's a looming threat that large quantities of plastic could be released back into the ocean, further straining marine life. The ocean is already burdened with an annual influx of eight million tons of plastic from land-based sources.
4. The Cigarette Factor
A widespread misconception is that plastic bags are the leading form of marine litter. While they do float in large quantities, if there were a competition, plastic bags would be outpaced by cigarette butts.
In 2014, volunteers from a cleanup effort collected two million cigarette butts from beaches. The filter in your favorite cigarette is made of cellulose acetate, a plastic also found in sunglasses. A single cigarette filter can release thousands of microplastics into the environment. Even if biodegradable filters became common, they would still leave behind toxins from the smoking process, continuing to pollute the earth and oceans.
Because of this, some researchers advocate for cigarettes to be made without filters. This is not only due to the serious threat filters pose to marine life, but also because companies falsely advertise filters as health-related devices. A survey revealed that many smokers would prefer to quit than switch to an unfiltered cigarette, potentially saving the state of California the $41 million it spends annually cleaning up discarded cigarette waste.
3. People Are Drinking It
When discussing the combination of water and microplastics, many people first think of ocean pollution. While it's true that the seas are heavily polluted, there's an issue much closer to home.
In 2017, a study tested tap water in over a dozen countries and found that 83 percent of the samples contained plastic particles. The United States had the highest contamination, with 94 percent of its tap water tainted.
Reaching for a bottle of purified water might not solve the problem. In 2018, the World Health Organization took a closer look at bottled water. After studying 259 bottles from nine different countries, they discovered that 90 percent of the samples were contaminated, with an average of 325 plastic pieces per liter.
At this point, it's still unclear how these harmful particles end up in drinking water. Potential sources could include airborne microplastics from factory equipment or workers' clothing. With no filtering system capable of removing the tiniest nanoparticles—small enough to enter human cells—billions of people unknowingly consume plastic.
2. Great Australian Bight
In 2018, researchers decided to test whether microplastics had truly spread throughout the oceans. They picked a remote and unlikely location—the Great Australian Bight—to investigate.
The Great Australian Bight is one of Australia’s most precious marine treasures, known for its untouched and isolated nature. To avoid contamination, researchers took extra precautions. They used deionized water to clean equipment and filtered lab solutions. The team also wore specialized clothing and worked inside a fume hood.
When plastic was found in sediment samples, everyone realized it couldn't have come from the research team. The discovery of plastic deep inside this remote area was alarming for conservationists, as the bight is considered one of the last pristine spots in the ocean.
The findings not only confirmed that microplastics are likely widespread but also emphasized the daunting reality that the problem may be insurmountable. They are in the air, water, homes, and food. While the full impact on humans is still unclear, one scientist’s words offer a chilling warning: “Where the plastic goes, the chemicals follow.”
1. 100 Percent Mussel Contamination
In 2018, a team from a British university gathered wild mussels from eight coastal regions and purchased mussels from eight different supermarkets. The names of the stores were kept confidential, and for good reason. Every mussel they examined contained microplastics, including imported and farmed varieties.
Freshly harvested mussels contained fewer microplastics compared to those that were frozen or pre-cooked, suggesting contamination from factories. However, even wild mussels collected from local beaches had plastic particles. On average, British mussels contained 70 pieces of plastic and waste materials like cotton and rayon for every 100 grams consumed.
Mussels accumulate trash because they filter seawater for food. While some scientists argue that plastic typically passes through the human body without being absorbed, others rightly warn that the long-term health effects of microplastics, especially nanoparticles, remain poorly understood.
