1 minute read
CHALLENGE
by rca-issuu
The extensive production and use of plastics have resulted in a significant amount of waste. Regardless of the disposal methods employed, plastic waste that is not recycled ends up in the natural environment in the form of plastics and microplastics.
Although biodegradable plastics are more easily to be degraded, when they are built up faster than the rate of natural decomposition, biodegradable plastics still accumulate as plastic waste, polluting the environment.
Advertisement
And they are more easily broken down into small molecules of plastic, which enter plants, animals and eventually the human body in the form of microplastics.
How microplastics enter the body through the food chain
As more and more microplastics are found in food, less nutrients of the same quality are absorbed by humans, so humans need to consume more food per meal, thus creating a vicious cycle of consuming more food and more microplastics at the same time. And the demand for more food will continue to exacerbate the problem of food shortages.
Studies have shown that food intake is one of the main pathways for Microplastics to enter the organism and accumulate in tissues and organs. Animal studies have reported intestinal inflammation, intestinal villi rupture, intestinal epithelial cell damage and intestinal metabolism disorder after exposure to Microplastics.
Human digestive systems are more delicate compared to those of animals. Therefore, it can be inferred that excessive intake of microplastics into the human body can also cause abnormalities in the digestive system. Due to the small size of microplastics, they primarily inflict damage at the cellular level, as scientifically proven.
Small amounts of microplastics can cause inflammation and even cell death, disrupting the integrity of organ barriers such as the villi in the stomach, resulting in organ damage. When a large amount of microplastics simultaneously inflict such harm, it can have a significant impact on the human body, potentially even endangering life when the quantity reaches a certain level.
