Microplastics found in human blood

Researchers from Netherlands had found Microplastic constituents in the human blood for the first time

Key-highlights of the findings

• The researchers analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors and found microplastic in 17 of them.
• It has been detected in nearly 80% of the samples being collected.
• Majority of the samples had components of plastic used for drinking water bottles.

What are microplastics?

• Tiny particles of plastic mea suring less than 5mm in diameter is termed as microplastic.
• They are one of the major pollutants of land and ocean.

Impacts of microplastic

• On Oceans: Microplastics are source of pollution in oceans they accumulate by breaking into small constituent particles and settle down inside the ocean residing inside for many years without degrading.
• According to the IUCN, at least 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans every year and make up about 80% of all marine debrisfrom surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
• As perUNEP, in the last four decades, concentrations of these particles appear to have increased significantly in the surface waters of the ocean.
• On marine organisms: marine organisms such as fish, crabs, prawns consume these minute plastic particles and thus add them to the food chain and leads to bioaccumulation.
• On land: Microplastics are major pollutant of land as they leach in the water bodies such as rivers and lakes through soil.
• Agriculture and plant helath is affected.
• On humans: Human health is a matter of concern as plastic is used by us in our day to day routine and unknowingly we are consuming it in the form of microplastics.
• Thus it add to human blood and even can accumulate in organs.
• A study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Naturerevealed that an average person consumed 5 grams of plastic.