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Degraded plastic waste can directly affect humans through direct consumption (i.e. in tap water), indirect consumption (by eating plants and animals), and disruption of various hormonal mechanisms. [12] As of 2019, 368 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year; 51% in Asia, where China is the world's largest producer. [13]
Plastic pollution in the ocean is a type of marine pollution by plastics, ranging in size from large original material such as bottles and bags, down to microplastics formed from the fragmentation of plastic material. Marine debris is mainly discarded human rubbish which floats on, or is suspended in the ocean.
Plastic pollution has the potential to poison animals, which can then adversely affect human food supplies. [161] [162] Plastic pollution has been described as being highly detrimental to large marine mammals, described in the book Introduction to Marine Biology as posing the "single greatest threat" to them. [163]
Over 700 marine species, including half of the world’s cetaceans (such as whales and dolphins), all of its sea turtles, and a third of its seabirds, are known to ingest plastic.
The brain is the most well-protected organ in the human body, but it has a surprisingly high amount of microplastic pollution, according to a study published in Nature Medicine on Monday.
The Italian study has weaknesses, but is likely to draw attention to the debate over the problem of plastic pollution. Most plastic waste is never recycled and breaks down into these particles.
Humans are exposed to toxic chemicals and microplastics at all stages in the plastics life cycle. The effects of microplastics on human health are a growing concern and an actively increasing area of research. Tiny particles known as microplastics (MPs), have been found in various environmental and biological matrices, including air, water ...
A study from December 2023 published in the journal Environmental Pollution looked at the amount of microplastics in 16 commonly consumed proteins (meat, seafood, and plant-based).