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Impact of Microplastic Pollution on Human Health
Summary
This review focuses on microplastic pollution in India, comparing contamination levels with those in developed countries and highlighting the unique risks to human health given India's dense population and heavy reliance on contaminated water sources. It explains how microplastics bioaccumulate, carry toxic chemicals, and can serve as vectors for pathogens, while noting that research specific to the Indian context remains limited. The paper calls for more systematic study of microplastic distribution and exposure pathways in South Asian environments.
Besides visible plastic pollution, there is also a microplastic threat. Microplastics are ultrasmall plastic items, smaller than 5 mm in size. The presence of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems is increasing at an exponential rate posing a direct or indirect threat to all biodiversity on the planet This paper highlights the Indian scenario of microplastic pollution in comparison with developed regions of the globe while primarily focusing on impacts on human health. Microplastic particles are not metabolised by living organisms and thus they keep bioaccumulating. These tiny plastics also sorb a wide plethora of chemical substances that may have severe effects on life forms. Pathogenic bacteria may also adhere to microplastics affecting health. Exposure to microplastics has become impossible to avoid as these tiny plastics can enter through food, cosmetics and even via air. Besides bioaccumulating microplastics have been proven to interfere with cellular processes and normal physiological functioning of the human body. Very few papers have been published to date highlighting this issue, more research needs to be done on sources, distribution patterns and effects of microplastics on the ecosystem and humans.