And one of the major challenges associated with MP research is that, at present, there are no standard methods for MP analysis. Unfortunately, there are very few papers reporting interlaboratory studies for MP analysis. This is our duty as environmental chemists, as scientists, and also as citizens of the world.
Once the pandemic is over, we will need to conduct additional reconnaissance studies to measure the amount of plastic generated during the pandemic and how it has impacted our global environment. Around four billion masks are being used daily around the globe and, in the UK alone, an Olympic size swimming pool will be filled every month with plastic waste from COVID-19 tests. The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased the plastic problem. MP particles have also been observed in the atmosphere, specifically in Chinese megacities where plastics fibers from textile, construction, and industrial materials contribute to airborne particles. For countries in the South of Europe, where a lot of fish is consumed, humans may accumulate over 11,000 MP particles each year. Globally, humans intake over 4,000 MP particles per year via drinking water. There is increasing evidence of MP bioaccumulation in fish and other biota resulting in oxidative stress, increased acetylcholinesterase activity, behavioral alterations, transfer across trophic webs, and hormesis. Estimates suggest that we use one million plastic bags worldwide – each minute.Īs for the consequences for human and animal health, there are ongoing investigations. In Europe alone, microplastic (MP) input through rivers is 5,000 tons per year. River plastic input, at a global scale, has been recently estimated between 0.8-2.7 million tons per year. To give you a brief idea of how widespread this problem is, we are producing around 350 million tons of plastic each year. The increasing amount of plastic litter in our seas, coastal waters, freshwaters, and agroecosystems is truly concerning.
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