Summer 2021 Publication

per litre of water. Additionally,
microplastics can come from our clothing;
fleece and synthetic clothing shed
microplastics into the water with each
washing. In fact, a fleece jacket can shed
about 2,000 pieces of plastic per
washing. Wastewater treatment plants
don’t have the ability to screen these tiny
pieces, meaning they end up in both the
discharged water and the sludge that is
composed.
Big chunks of plastic, like the ones floating
here, can be clearly seen. But tiny pieces are
scattered through the oceans too. (Image
Credit: Rich Carey/Shutterstock)
In total, the average human consumes an
estimated 70,000 microplastics each
year, but it’s still unclear what health
consequences this causes. Scientists
believe that microplastics likely can
cause toxicity through oxidative stress,
inflammatory lesions and increased
uptake or translocation. Several studies
have also demonstrated the potentiality
of metabolic disturbances, neurotoxicity
and increased cancer risk in humans
since plastic often contains carcinogenic
materials.
There are ways we can reduce our
microplastic consumption and its impact.
For example, you could reduce or stop
your bottled water intake. Drinking water
is one of the main sources of
microplastics in our bodies. If you only
drank from bottled water, you would be
consuming 130,000 microplastic particles
per year, compared with just 4,000
particles per year from tap water.
Therefore, transitioning to tap water will
reduce microplastic consumption by a
significant amount. To further reduce or
completely remove microplastics from
your drinking source, you can also look
into filtering your tap water.
Additionally, plastic bottle waste also
contributes to the creation of new
microplastic, which can have a
detrimental effect on the environment.
Therefore, reusable water bottles would
also help reduce these effects.
As said before, microplastics can also
contaminate the food chain, including the
seafood that we eat. Therefore, reducing
your shellfish consumption would help
avoid us from ingesting the microplastics
present in marine wildlife.
Another way to reduce microplastic
contamination is to buy clothing made
from natural materials. Synthetic fabrics
like nylon, spandex and polyester are
made out of plastic. Over time, these
pieces of clothing will shed fibres as they
are washed or rubbed against rough
surfaces like walls. To eliminate your
exposure to microfibres, avoid wearing
clothes made out of synthetic fabric and
instead opt for fabrics made of natural
materials, such as natural cotton.
A final way to reduce microplastic
contamination is to air-dry your clothes
rather than using a dryer. Synthetic
fabrics shed microfibres when they are
machine dried. Air drying your clothing
can reduce the number of microfibres
that your clothes shed.
In summary, microplastics are a major
environmental issue mainly because of
their distribution, uncontrolled
environmental occurrences, small sizes
and long lifetimes. However, there are
effective ways in which we can reduce
the contamination of them to lessen their
impacts.
References
[1] Brodde, K. (2017, November 7). Why is
h&m burning new clothes? Retrieved
April 09, 2021, from
https://wayback.archive-
it.org/9650/20200220111509/http://p3-
raw.greenpeace.org/international/en/new
s/Blogs/makingwaves/hm-burning-newclothes-fast-fashionincineration/blog/60640/.
[2] Brown, R. (2021, January 8). The
Environmental Crisis Caused by Textile
Waste. RoadRunner Recycling HQ.
https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/te
xtile-waste-environmental-crisis.
[3] Global garment industry to grow 8.8
per cent CAGR from 2021–27. (2020,
August 14). Fashionating World.
https://www.fashionatingworld.com/new
1-2/global-garment-industry-to-grow-8-
8-per-cent-cagr-from-2021-
27#:%7E:text=An%20Allied%20Market%
20Research%20report,and%20its%20infl
uence%20over%20consumers.
[4] Kan, H. K. (2009, December 1).
Environment and Health in China:
Challenges and Opportunities. PubMed
Central(PMC).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl
es/PMC2799473/.
[5] Lohr, S. (2014, October 19). 5 truths
the fast fashion industry doesn't want
you to know. Retrieved April 09, 2021,
from arch 7). What are Microplastics?
And 6 tips on how to reduce them.
https://tappwater.co/us/what-are-microplastics-and-5-tips-to-reduce-them/.
[6] GetGreenNow. (2019, November 30).
8 Ways to Avoid Microplastics and Why
It’s Important. https://get-greennow.com/ways-to-avoid-microplastics/
Global Citizen. (2021, March 19). Global
Citizen Life.
[7] 5 Easy Ways You Can Avoid
Microplastics in Your Everyday Life.
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/conten
t/microplastics-how-to-avoid-reduce/?
template=next.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eugenia Calvo Prieto is a current sophomore
at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong. She is
passionate about the biomedical sciences and
the intersection between the social sciences
and medicine. She enjoys pursuing these
interests through scientific research and
initiatives. Being an ambassador for Eunoia,
she is able to raise awareness and educate
others on various global health issues through
writing, videos, podcasts and lessons. Outside
of Eunoia, she also likes to sight and explore
wildlife species and learn about the issues
surrounding animal conservation and ecology.
EUNOIA GLOBAL HEALTH | 5