Dive into the microscopic world of microplastics — technology products engineered for longevity are now plaguing our environment and health. Find out more with a top expert on the history, present and future of plastics sustainability.
The Rise and Reign of Plastics
Plastics are now woven into the fabric of our consumer culture, revolutionizing everything from transportation to healthcare. Polymer synthesis is an ancient art, practiced by chemists and engineers alike, a craft that has developed over many decades into a vast array of cheaply produced materials with lightweight durability.
But that technological wonder has come at a price. At the same time, as the use of petroleum-derived plastics increased dramatically, their longevity in a wide range of ecosystems outpaced our knowledge. Long considered a marvel of human invention, we have now come to understand that these substances exist as a tremendous liability because they can endure for generations in the environment, breaking down only into smaller and smaller forms that are now appearing in our bodies and ecosystems.
The Microplastic Menace
Womack calls them microplastics, which have littered the environment like never before. Those little pieces, which can be as small as a grain of rice, are the remains of larger plastic products that have broken down over more than a century.
Initially, it was believed that these tiny microparticles would not present a significant problem, since they were so small and seemed unlikely to be ingested or enter into living organisms. But now these plastics have been breaking down further, and they are becoming ubiquitous in tissues and organs across the food chain, leading to new worries on how those fragments might influence animal and human health.
The ramifications of this invasion of microplastics are not completely known, but it is evident that when the body comes into contact with these unseen invaders, reactions are initiated. The results of these exposures will be long-lasting, the implications contentious and unclear for scientists, regulators, media outlets, and possibly a riven and retired public.
Conclusion
The plastic problem paradox… It looks grim, and it is (first post) The scientific community is now reimagining the future of plastics taking on a more secure approach with sustainable solutions such as reversible polymer bonds and chemical recycling. But with the right public support and policy change, we can use this information to fix a crisis that affects us all ensuring a cleaner, greener future as the best inheritance for our children.
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