The Plastic Beat: A Climate Change Angle

According to a recent paper, the amount of microplastic particles lodging in human brain samples in 2024 was fifty percent higher than samples that date to 2016, suggesting that the quantity of microplastics existing in the human brain shows increases as that existing in the environment.

In another development, microplastic particles also lodge in human blood, with scientists detecting tiny quantities in almost 80 percent of the people tested, after discovering plastic particles in blood samples in 17 of the anonymous 22 tested, suggesting that the particles get transported throughout the body.

In still another development, the amount of microplastic particles lodging in human eyes is significant, with over 8,500 particles found in 49 people with various eye conditions, suggesting the potential consequences of the presence of the objects in humanity.

Apart from the brain, blood, and eyes, researchers find microplastics in the colon, placenta, heart, lungs, heart, testicles, and other places, with the overall accumulation of the object estimated to be between 14,230 and 17,091 particles, or 37.36 to 46.53 mg, predominantly located in the lungs, with adults ingesting an average of 9.8 microplastic particles per cubic meter of air, and 78,000 to 212,000 microplastic particles per year.

Sea creatures in numerous cases mistake plastics for food, a reason why a sizeable amount of human exposure to particles come from marine life, with humans now ingesting six times more microplastics than in 1990, as Asian, African, and American countries all show increases, some areas in southeast Asia having the highest rates, exceeding 50 times 1990 levels.

Microplastics in many cases enter the human body through air, a reason why experts estimate human ingestion from the source to be around five grams per week, with inhalation amounting to 26 to 170 airborne MNPs per day and up to 22,000,000 microplastics taken in by humans through the nose every single year.

Plastic particles may also gain entrance into the body through food, a reason why other experts estimate that Americans for instance may be consuming anywhere from 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particle per year, with people who drink tap water ingesting an additional 4,000 particles annually, while those who drink only bottled water get an additional 90,000.

With humans ingesting plastics through sea creatures, air, and food, it comes as no surprise that researchers find particles in many parts of the human body, creating fears of future challenges, even though few studies abound showing the impact of microplastics on human health and climate change.

In some studies, 100 percent of plankton are found to be contaminated by microplastics, but this potentially contributes to climate change, by disrupting the ocean's carbon sequestration capacity, bringing a decrease in the ability of oceans to carry out carbon capture.

Also, some studies indicate that a median of 60 percent of fish across various species have ingested microplastics, but this can potentially contribute to climate change, through alteration in the food web and decrease in biodiversity, leading to a negative impact on ecosystem dynamics.

In the marine environment, at least 56 percent of mammal species have been reported to ingest large quantities of microplastics, but this can have consequences in relation to climate change indirectly, by changing the food web, disrupting population dynamics, snd preventing nutrient absorption, leading to a decrease in the population of affected species.

More research is needed to show the relationship between microplastics, climate change and health at a broader level, but if plankton, mammals, fish, and other animals have potential effects on climate change as a result of ingesting microplastics, humans cannot be exempted from this, especially with the presence of the objects in the brain, blood, lungs and other parts of the body.

Ultimately, technical innovation, government initiatives, organizational policies, and individual actions are needed to curtail the use of microplastics and mitigate its impacts on climate change.

What to Eat

Vegan food from Chile, Credit, Better Foodguru