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Microplastics and Their Effects on Human Health and the Aquatic Environment
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This student report reviews published studies on microplastics, including two 2025 studies of the Buriganga and Turag rivers near Dhaka. It found that washing synthetic clothes and tire wear are larger sources of ocean microplastics than cosmetics, and notes that plastic has been detected in human blood, lungs and artery plaque, though its health effects remain unsettled.
I wrote this report for my ENV101 course at Independent University, Bangladesh. I didn't run any experiments. I took numbers from published studies and tried to explain them in plain language.The report asks three simple questions: 1) where do microplastics come from ? 2) what do they do to life in the water ? 3) what could they mean for our health? One result surprised me. Washing synthetic clothes and wearing down car tyres are the two biggest sources of the tiny plastic particles that reach the ocean, while cosmetics are only about 2%. I also looked at two 2025 studies of the rivers around Dhaka, the Buriganga and the Turag, because I wanted to see what this looks like close to home. On health, the honest answer is that it isn't settled. Plastic has been found in human blood, lungs and artery plaque, but that doesn't prove it harms us, and I explain both sides. I finish with practical steps for individuals, communities and the government.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.