By: Loralie D. Clarke
Microplastic debris is an issue that could jeopardize human food security, food safety, and health. Microplastics are classified as “tiny bits of plastic smaller than five millimeters in size” by the Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP). Plastic is like a cancer. It may not kill us right away, but it will have a long-term impact on our lives. Microplastics are found in, and derived from, a variety of mediums, including industrial and urban effluents, offshore industrial activities (e.g., oil and gas production and aquaculture), fisheries net loss, and litter discharged during maritime activities, such as tourism. These microscopic particles float around in the ocean, posing a hazard to aquatic life and, by extension, humans. It has been reported that Trinidad and Tobago produces significantly too much plastic garbage, accounting for two hundred thousand tonnes of the three hundred and eighty-one million tonnes produced globally each year (Wildgirl 2019). Some argue that there is now more plastic in the ocean than there are fish. In light of this, it is fair to say that marine plastics are likely to have a huge impact on the environment.
The main concern about microplastics’ ecological impact is directed at a range of species, such as fish, crabs, and shrimp, and their absorption of microplastics. Globally, 31.9 million tonnes of plastic are discarded inappropriately, with 8.75 million ending up in the sea (Kowlessar 2018). Microplastic particles are found in about 85% of surface water tests. Because most of these persistent particles, which accumulate over time, mimic phytoplanktons, marine species readily consume them as food. Dr. La Daana Kanhai, an instructor at the University of the West Indies’ Department of Life Sciences, points out that while there is currently no evidence of widespread ecological risk from microplastic pollution, it is likely to become a concern as plastic production increases and pollution continues. It is recommended that future studies examine the effects of microplastics on humans in terms of potential exposure to microplastics and associated health risks (Smith et. al 2018 and Barboza et. al 2018).
Microplastic particles are available to a wide range of species, and they anchor themselves in the tissue of marine creatures, making them undetectable by unaided eye inspection. Many fish and shellfish species have been shown to contain microplastics. Many crustaceans, including the shore crab, have microplastics in their respiratory and digestive tracts. Because fish perceive plastic particles as food and ingest them, they can clog their digestive tracts, sending false feeding signals to their brains (GESAMP 2016).
This can hinder their digestion and make it difficult for them to feed and receive the nutrients they require. These issues can result in an aquatic animal’s death due to malnutrition (Brasileiro, 2020). Microplastics can take up to 14 days to pass through an aquatic animal’s digestive system, compared to two days for normal digestion; however, entanglement of the particles in the gills of animals can impede excretion entirely.
The introduction of microplastics into aquatic environments has disastrous consequences for the food chain. As a result, there is a risk to human food security, food safety, and health. Microplastics are consumed by persons through the numerous types of food consumed in a typical diet (Cox 2019). A population’s significant consumption of seafood, such as fish and shellfish, raises concerns about the impact of microplastics on human health.
The main source of concern for human health in relation to microplastics is the various hazardous and carcinogenic compounds utilized to produce these polymers. Pathogens and heavy metals can both be transmitted by microplastics (Brook et al. 2017). Although it is obvious that humans are exposed to microplastics through their diet and that the presence of microplastics in seafood may constitute a food safety risk, for the time being, no human health risk has been identified as a result of microplastics in seafood. The potential impacts of nano-sized plastic particles, which are capable of crossing cell barriers, are unknown. However, contamination of humans occur through the consumption of sea food, resulting in cytotoxicity, hypersensitivity, undesired immunological responses, and acute reactions such as hemolysis (Miller 2012).
Humans are clearly exposed to microplastics in the marine environment, and these particles are passed from seafood to humans, posing a health risk. There are potentially substantial negative ecological consequences, as well as impact on human food security and safety. Although there is a lack of knowledge on this subject and further risk assessment of microplastics and its impact on human health is required, I hope that by providing this information, readers will be motivated to take precautionary measures to prevent further pollution and spread of microplastics in our environment.
References
Barboza, Luís Gabriel Antão, Andre Dick Vethaak, Beatriz, R. B. O. Lavorante, Anne-Katrine Lundebye. 2018. Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health. Marine Pollution Bulletin 133, 6-348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.05.047
Cox, Kieran D., Garth A. Covernton, Hailey L. Davies, John F. Dower, Francis Juanes, and Sarah E. Dudas. 2019. Human Consumption of Microplastics. Environmental Science & Technology 53 (12), 7068-7074.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01517GESAMP (2015) In: Kershaw PJ (ed) Sources, fate and effects of microplastics in the marine environment: a global assessment. IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/ UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/ UNEP/UNDP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection. Rep. Stud. GESAMP No 90: p 1–96
Kanhai, La Daana. 2021. Interview. Instructor at the University of the West Indies' Department of Life Sciences.
Kowlessar, Geisha. (2018. June 17). Making plastics useful. The Trinidad Guardian. p. 8.
Miller MR, Shaw CA, Langrish JP. 2012. From particles to patients: oxidative stress and the cardiovascular effects of air pollution. Future Cardiol 8(4):577–602
Smith, Madeleine, David C. Love, Chelsea M. Rochman and Roni A. Neff. 2018. Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health. Current Environmental Health Reports volume 5, pages375–386 (2018).
Wildgirl. 2019. Plastic Pollution in Trinidad and Tobago. http://wildtobago.blogspot.com/2019/09/plastic-pollution-in-trinidad-and-tobago.html
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