Activity 3.3.3 - My Plastic Use

     Microplastics

    The environment is greatly affected by plastics. One of the most dangerous part of plastics are microplastics. Microplastics are plastic particles that are plastic particles or fibers that are smaller than 5 millimeters (mm) in size (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). They come from petroleum and are regularly added to cosmetics and personal care products. They are also produced from using synthetic fibers in textiles. Macroplastic debris accumulates in many aquatic areas and degrades, which can create microplastics. Wastewater treatment plants are not able to remove them because of their small size. Microplastics are not biodegradable because they are made of petroleum (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). This is a very large threat to the biodiversity in these areas. 

    Microplastics are largely found in aquatic areas, especially ones with waste and sewage pollution. Many of the animals ingest these small plastic particles. "Microplastic pollution has been found in North Country waterbodies including the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and Lake Champlain" (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). Immediate action is needed to be taken because this is an ongoing issue. The population needs to be educated and there needs to be legislation that is passed to help clear up all of the pollution in these areas. The solution needs to be inexpensive, small changes to way of living, have global impact, and preventing reoccurrence of the pollution. 

    Consumer preference is a huge issue in microplastic pollution. Some body washes, face washes, and toothpastes contain little plastic microbeads that have been a huge source of microplastic pollution. Cosmetics cause 3 to 4% of all microplastic pollution (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). Plastics are widely used in many products due to the fact that they are light, cheap, and durable. There is a problem with improper waste management that leads to piles of large and small debris to form. There have been over 100 publications on microplastics since it has become a huge topic of discussion. Legislation does not adequately protect waterways. 

    The contamination of waterways has been proven to be a threat to the environment and biodiversity in these areas. These effects are immediate and long term. Microplastics are ingested by marine and freshwater organisms. It has been shown that there have been adverse biological effects on these animals. Some of the organisms that have been impacted by microplastics ingestion include zooplankton, aquatic worms, crayfish, native mussels, crabs, and several fish species including the yellow perch (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). There are also several indirect impacts on the environment from microplastics. They also have the potential to provide microbial communities that can change the community structure. 

    Organisms of all trophic levels have felt the effects of microplastic pollution (Haab, S., & Haab, K., n.d.). Microplastics are small enough to be ingested and in smaller organisms, it can become piled up inside. This is dangerous and has many biological consequences. There are many microplastics in everyday things that we use. This is why we need to be mindful of what we use, how much we use, and where we dispose of it. There have been problems with legislation not doing a good enough job at keeping these things out of the environment. This is why we need to be more careful instead of carefree when it comes to this matter. 

3 Days of Plastics

This probably does not look like much, but there are a lot of microplastics that are apart of each object. If any of this got into the wastewater and then degraded, there would be a huge issue. It would add to the problems that freshwater and marine life have to deal with. By making sure these things go in the right places, it would help the environment a lot. I collected each thing as much as I could. This is only the things that I used in those three days. I kept my family's objects out because there would be way too many (I have a really big family). There are a few things that I forgot because I was either out and about or I totally spaced it. This is still a good example to show how many microplastics could be in our possession, and how we can help stop these microplastics from harming the environment. 

References

Haab, S., & Haab, K. (n.d.). The environmental impacts of microplastics: An investigation of microplastic pollution in North Country waterbodies. Adventure Scientists. Available:  HABB and HABB_Microplastics.pdfDownload HABB and HABB_Microplastics.pdf

• • •  Pages: 9 – 11, 14 – 15, 23 – 55