Microplastics

Meera Naveen
Jun 8, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Jun 24, 2024

Hi!

Recently I had watched part of a science documentary that was stressing the amount of plastic in the ocean, how it is harming the ecosystems and its alarming durability that lets it take forever to decompose.

However, what caught my eye the most was when they mentioned micro beads. I know I have mentioned these before in my previous post about cosmetics, but the statistics of their negative impact threw me off.

Microplastics themselves come in many different forms: basic fragments, particles from paint, films, "nurdles" (plastic pellets that seep into the environment before the consumer stage of the industrial process), microbeads, microfibers, etc. Paint particles themselves account for 2.9 million tons entering oceanic ecosystems, and over half of fish examined around the world contained microplastics in their systems.

Microplastics are also found in several items we use. Cigarettes, gum, acrylics, nail polish, certain commercial cleansers/exfoliators (contain micro beads), and your regular plastic bottle all contain microplastics, usually with the ingredient name "polyethylene."

Cutting bottles, microwaving these products or even using them on a daily basis can cause inhalation/ingestion of microplastics through liquid and air, and as a result start hormonal, respiratory, and immune issues.

So how should we work as a community against this problem?

Well, for one, whether it's clothing, skincare/makeup products, blankets, toothpaste, etc that you're buying, be sure to avoid products that contain ingredients like polyethylene "(PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Nylon (PA), Polyurethane, Acrylates Copolymer . . Butylene . . Ethylene . . Nylon . . poloxamer, PEGs, PPGs and (certain types of) Polyquaterniums." (Guide to Microplastics)

In other words, try avoiding products with synthetic polymers, for example . .
- Resorting to using a reusable, refillable, sustainable bottle contrasting to your everyday disposable bottle.
- Avoiding burning/microwaving plastics especially with these ingredients
- On your search for personal care products, look in the ingredients list and search for sustainable, zero-plastic brands/products. For example, some nail polish brands rated by LeafScore for their sustainability and decreased use of toxins and microplastics include Honeybee Gardens Nail Polish and Kid Licks Nail Polish.
- DON'T LITTER PLASTIC and try to use refillable/reusable items not made from synthetic polymers as much as possible.

In conclusion, plastic, something that can stay at the bottom of the ocean for hundreds of years before biodegrading fully, can harm several animals, plants and even humans through inhalation, ingestion and suffocation. Microplastics are even more dangerous due to their reduced size - you can't even see them sometimes because they're in tiny particles/fragments.

Following the circular method of industry and the reduce-reuse-recycle process as well as buying products without microplastics, micro beads, micro fibers and other such synthetic polymers can contribute to a better, safer, cleaner environment for all to live in.