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Microplastics: Impacts on Environment and Human Health Hazards
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This review covers the environmental and health impacts of microplastic pollution, noting that particles smaller than 150 micrometers can cross the intestinal wall and reach internal organs. Researchers highlight that microplastics can carry disease-causing organisms and persistent organic pollutants, potentially contributing to various toxic effects. The study calls for urgent measures to reduce plastic accumulation in the environment given the long-term risks to ecosystems and human well-being.
Plastic waste is not biodegraded and can only be broken down, predominantly by physical processes, into small particles of micron to nanometre size. Microplastic pollution is becoming a major issue for human health due to the recent discovery of microplastics (MP) in most ecosystems. Microplastic have been found to have significant negative impacts on both human health and the environment. Plastic particles less than 150 μm can be ingested by living organisms, migrate through the intestinal wall and reach lymph nodes and other body organs. There are increasing concerns over the environmental and human health impacts associated to exposure to these pollutants. The long-term and irreversible risks to ecosystems and human health indicate for mitigation measures to be taken to halt the accumulation of plastics and microplastics in the environment. The surfaces of plastic fragments can be carrying disease-causing organisms andacts as a vector for diseases. The microplastics found in water and soil carry different types of contaminants and serve as carriers for bacteria and persistent organic pollutants. MP and nanoplastics may pose acute and chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, developmental toxicity, and genotoxicity. This study conducts a review with primary objectives of MP, including their definition, ecological impacts with respect to direct and indirect effects; effects on aquatic biota, marine ecosystem, fresh water ecosystem, animal health and seafood, human health hazards; control measures; and knowledge gaps.
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Human health concerns regarding microplastics in the aquatic environment - From marine to food systems
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This review traces the journey of microplastics from marine environments into the human food supply, examining how they contaminate seafood, drinking water, and the food chain. Particles smaller than 150 micrometers can pass through the intestinal wall and reach other organs, where they may cause chronic toxicity including cardiovascular, liver, and brain damage. The authors emphasize that nanoplastics are especially concerning because their small size allows them to penetrate deeper into the body.
Microplastic pollution and its impacts on marine life and human health: a literature review
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This literature review summarized how microplastics are generated from larger plastic debris and the physical and toxic harms they cause to marine organisms and humans. In humans, particles smaller than 20 micrometers can penetrate cell membranes and potentially reach internal organs.
Local and systemic effects of microplastic particles through cell damage, release of chemicals and drugs, dysbiosis, and interference with the absorption of nutrients
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This review describes how microplastic particles can harm human health through multiple pathways: directly damaging cells at the point of contact, releasing absorbed chemicals, disrupting gut bacteria, and interfering with nutrient absorption. Only particles smaller than 5 micrometers can cross the body's protective barriers and reach organs, but larger particles can still cause harm by acting within the digestive and respiratory tracts. The review emphasizes that actual human health impacts depend on real-world exposure levels, which are still debated.
Effect of Microplastic on the Human Health
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This study reviews the health effects of microplastics on humans, highlighting how plastic fragments smaller than 5mm can carry disease-causing organisms, bacteria, and persistent organic pollutants through water and soil into the human body.
A review of adverse health effects caused by microplastics and the potential toxicity mechanisms
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Tiny plastic particles called microplastics are everywhere—in our water, soil, and air—and this review pulls together existing research showing they can enter our bodies, travel beyond the gut or lungs where they first land, and potentially damage organs like the intestines, liver, brain, and reproductive system. Scientists still don't fully understand exactly how this damage happens or how much exposure is truly risky, but the existing evidence is concerning enough that researchers are calling for more study and stronger strategies to limit our exposure.
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