Cyclone dumps microplastic waste onto Versova beach, experts raise concerns

Owing to the severe cyclone Biparjoy the Arabian Sea has dumped back tonnes of plastic waste back onto Versova beach The beach remains blanketed with muck plastic debris metallic waste as well as microplastics Experts share concerns over the rising incidence of plastic waste in water bodies that also risks human and marine lifeMicroplastics have infiltrated Earth at the depths of the Mariana Trench and reached the heights of Mount Everest Tiny pieces of plastic debris have been found buried under the Antarctic Sea and the drinking water around the globe It has permeated into the guts of marine animals and travelledinto human bodies Researchers have revealed that traces of microplastics have also been found in human bloodIt is no surprise that microplastics have penetrated the food chain and are gradually seeping into edible food How does it affect the consumer and can we prevent it from entering our very plates To find out Midday Online spoke to distinguished researchers in the field of plastic studies environmentalists and nutritionistsHow do microplastics get absorbed by aquatic lifeAlthough microplastic pollution can now be found almost anywhere ocean surfaces and seashores have the highest concentrations of microplastics Plastic pollution on beaches and rivers has resulted in plastic debris eventually reaching the oceanic ecosystem and becoming a permanent part of it because it never degrades remarked Aditya Pratap Singh a research scholar who is devising practical ways to mitigate plastic pollution in water bodiesPET bottles and polyethylene bags are already proven to damage aquatic life but microplastics are now exponentially increasing the risk Microplastics on the ocean surface are ingested by various forms of aquatic animals These microplastics stay inside their bodies and can lead to suffocation or even deathA study in 2019 has shown that microplastics on the ocean surface also adsorb on the surfaces of specific microalgae and travel down to the ocean bed as the coagulate becomes larger and denser This expands the threat to even deepsea animals Multiple fish and turtles discovered after fishing or on sea beaches were found to be full of microplastics that they had ingested throughout their lives which was also likely the cause of their deathsWhat happens when humans unknowingly ingest microplasticsSingh is of the opinion that the problem of microplastics in our bodiesis bigger than it seems It might look like the microplastics we eat would get excreted just like any other toxicant But apparently that is not the case with these little kittens Scientists are continuously studying the topic and recent studies confirmed the presence of microplastics in the human digestive tract blood and even the human placentaBeing smaller than a micron these microplastic particles can diffuse through the cell membrane and enter muscle or blood tissues Also the continuous ingestion of microplastic at the present rate leads to biomagnification and will eventually cause inflammatory reactions As a result while consuming microplastics may not have immediate health consequences it can cause significant harm to human health in the long runldquoIt can lead to serious health conditions ranging from cardiovascular issues to the formation of a tumour eventually leading to cancer Scientists are involved in finding ways to combat this issue of microplastics The size of these pollutants makes it difficult to identify them and subsequently filter themrdquo added SinghEnvironmentalist Nikhil Kaushik shares that it is difficult to establish longterm effects on humans In his opinion microplastics could potentially become carriers for heavy metals which could in turn have severe effects on human health Why such a study is difficult is the widespread presence of microplastics in practically everything we use making it difficult to isolate the effect of a specific exposure from other possible causes of exposureWhat are the ways to mitigate the damaging effects of microplasticsOne of the key things to understand is that we already know plastics do not degrade easily They would survive for thousands of years and we are yet to know a lot about the harmful effects of microplastics present in our ecosystem Environmentalist Pariksha Rao lists down actionable items to reduce the damages caused by microplastics1 Avoid singleuse plastic and other synthetic plastics like nylon polyethylene polyester etc2 Avoid cosmetics that contain plastic elements3 Reduce shellfish consumption4 Donrsquot microwave your food in plastic5 Dust and vacuum your indoors regularly6 As much as possible resort to recyclingHow can microplastic pollution be eradicatedSingh urges that the greater goal for the eradication of microplastics should be taking steps to prevent plastic pollution The use of recyclable plastics should be promoted and litter on beaches must be prevented New policies can be introduced to encourage people to gradually shift to no plastic usageOn a personal level a person can try to avoid using plastic bottles for drinking water because they corrode from the inside over time and the person can ingest massive amounts of microplasticsRao shares industrial ways to reduce microplastic pollution1 Improve the production efficiency of plastic by using biodegradable plastic and banning singleuse plastics2 Life cycle assessments of production packaging of larger sizes and lower weights with increased reusability and recyclability use of lowerenergy intensive materials and ecofriendly means of transportation and efficient shipping configurations3 Reducing consumption of plastic Avoiding unnecessary packaging or choosing ecofriendlier alternatives4 Increasing awareness of environmental impacts of consumer choices through formal ie in schools or informal eg news cleanups education5 Improving the disposing of waste through doortodoor collection with or without fees curbside collection and buyback centres buying litter or dropoff centres6 Recycling waste through the collection of separated waste by consumers separation of recyclables and elimination of contaminants grounding and segregation by polymer and colour7 Waste to energy conversion production of steam heat electricity or fuel from wasteAlso Read Mumbai Heat to stay despite premonsoon spells