The first comprehensive danger assessment of human consumption of microplastic particles through eating seafood has been expel , and as you may conceive of , the determination are n’t good . It gauge that regular Pisces and mollusc eater could be ingesting up to 11,000 microparticles a year .
The intake of microplastic molecule , such asmicrobeadsfrom shower down gels or toothpaste , bysea creatureshas been explored thoroughly over the last few years . Research into the economic consumption of plastics by humans , what materialise when the charge card enters our bodies , and the potential long - terminal figure health jeopardy , however , has not until now .
Inthe study , exclusively shared with Sky for its documentary , A Plastic Tide , researcher uncover that their findings show that people who on a regular basis deplete seafood are unknowingly absorbing thousands of tiny pieces of charge plate into their bloodstream with unnamed health effect .
According to the scientist , their results showed that people in Europe presently consume up to 11,000 microparticles a year and that 99 pct of them top through the body , but the remaining 1 per centum , which correspond to about 60 corpuscle , is absorb into the consistence ’s tissues and will accumulate over metre .
You might not reckon that is a huge amount to be worried about just yet , but base on current trends for both plastics being deck into the ocean and human usance of seafood , their predictions also show that by the end of the century that figure could rise to 780,000 microplastic particles waste per person per year , with around 4,000 particle being absorbed into the body .
Over 280 marine species and 50 species of seabirds have been shown to ingest microplastics . MPCA PHOTOS / FLICKR9CC BY - NC 2.0 )
Dr Colin Janssenfrom Ghent University in Belgium , who go the enquiry , toldSky Newsthe discovery of accumulated plastics in the body is of urgent vexation .
“ Now we ’ve established that they do enter our eubstance and can stay there for quite a while , we do need to know the fate of the plastics , ” he state . “ Where do they go ? Are they encapsulated by tissue paper and forget about by the body , or are they causing inflammation or doing other thing ? Are chemicals leaching out of these plastics and then cause perniciousness ? We do n’t lie with and really , we do need to have sex . ”
Research last class suggested that by 2050 , plastic in the oceanmay outweigh fish . The statistics showed that there are more than five trillion pieces of charge card in the world ’s sea , with the equivalent of one rubbish hand truck dumping its entire encumbrance into the sea every minute . By 2050 , this isexpected to riseto four rubbish trucks .
Readers in the UK can watchA Plastic Tideon Sky Atlantic tonight at 8 autopsy GMT ( 3 phase modulation EST ) as part of Sky ’s newOcean Rescuecampaign , launch today . The campaign take to educate and inspire people to change their behavior towards our ocean . While other platforms arebeing silencedon the subject of clime variety and human - made damage to the planet , it ’s dependable to see a global corp ill-treat up and be heard .
