Research shows that many of the microplastics in our bodies come from the air can be inhaled and may induce a wide range of diseases including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer, according to an article of World Economic Forum (WEF). More than 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year. Half of that plastic becomes trash in less than a year. Out of the plastics produced, only 9 percent is recycled; the remaining 91percent enters the air, land and water as waste. Parts end up in our lungs. And they stay in the lung tissue or enter the blood stream as the body is not able to rid itself of the tiny plastic particles.
Babies who crawl on the floor are the most vulnerable and children more generally are most at risk as their respiratory systems are still under development, according to the article written by Kevin Luo, PhD, Particle Deposition in the Human Respiratory System, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.
Concentration of airborne microplastics higher in indoor air Microplastics have been found in both indoor and outdoor air. However, the concentration in indoor air is higher than outdoors, according to research presented in 2018 by Ecole Nationales des Ponts et Chausses.
Microplastics in the indoor air result from the fragmentation through friction, heat or light of plastic objects found in our homes. These include toys, furniture, plastic bags, cosmetics, toothpaste and scrubs. Showering with a body scrub alone may flush 100,000 microplastic beads into the wastewater system and on into the air, says the Environmental Audit Committee in Britain, which banned microbead use in January 2018, following the lead of the US, Canada and New Zealand.
The majority of microplastics found in the indoor air, however, come from plastic fibers released from synthetic clothing and textiles used in home furnishings. These microplastic fibers tend to be longer and therefore more harmful when inhaled. Today, synthetic materials, such as acrylic, nylon, polyester, make up some 60% of global textile production. When washing these textiles, microplastic fibers are released and end up in the wastewater due to lack of good filtration. Washing a fleece jacket, for instance, releases up to 250,000 microplastic fibers into the wastewater, according to a 2016 study by the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California Santa Barbara. Sadly, most wastewater treatment facilities do not have filters to remove microplastics from so-called ‘treated’ water either.