Reports confirming widespread contamination of plastic debris in drinking water, seas and oceans must set alarm bells ringing as it is a threat to not just human health but also the marine ecosystem. Suitable regulatory measures should be put in place
The recent scare over the presence of microplastics in bottled drinking water has firmly established the real time threat these small but very harmful substances pose to the human health and environment. In a study conducted by scientists at the State University of New York in Fredonia, an analysis of 259 bottles from 19 locations in nine countries and across 11 different brands was done. The results were staggering to say the least as an average of 325 plastic particles for every liter of water being sold was discovered.
In fact, in one particular brand, concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per liter of water. In the backdrop of this report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water.
Microplastics are small man-made plastic particles in the environment that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) classifies as being less than five mm in diameter in size. They come from a variety of sources; including cosmetics, clothing and industrial processes and according to NOAA, humans have already produced an estimated nine billion tonne of plastic.
According to a report in European Food Safety Authority Journal, the ingestion of microplastics is highly dangerous for humans as these substances accumulate high concentrations of pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can then be absorbed into gut tissue.
Apart from severe human health ramifications, microplastics are also posing a major threat to the environment, especially oceans. According to a 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, microplastics are estimated to constitute up to 30 per cent of the ‘plastic soup’ or the marine litter polluting the world’s oceans and are, in fact, bigger sources of marine plastic pollution than the more visible larger pieces of marine litter. NOAA studies too confirm that plastic is the most common form of rubbish found in the world’s oceans, and microplastics are so small that they can evade methods for collecting or filtering plastic trash.
NOAA studies have further proved that microplastics are present in nearly every environment on earth and can be found in the guts of many types of sea birds and marine life.
The marine life is ingesting these tiny particles of plastic while swallowing hundreds or even thousands of cubic meters of seawater every day. The unfortunate ingestion of microplastics is taking place either directly from polluted water or indirectly through contaminated prey.
According to a collaborative study by the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Murdoch University (Australia), University of Siena (Italy) and Hawai Institute of Marine Biology, large pieces of plastics have been found in the guts of marine life. This severe exposure to toxic plastics can alter their hormones and eventually lead to their extinction.
Closer home, the seas near Mumbai, Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are among the worst polluted in the world. Seabirds and fish in these locations are severely affected by the marine litter, as is shown in the latest analysis by researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Germany.
On an average, 68.83 items are littered per square metre at four beaches-Juhu, Versova, Dadar and Aksa in Mumbai and about 41.85 per cent of the litter comprises microplastics ranging in size from one meter to five meter. Juhu recorded the highest quantity of microplastics at 55.33 per cent, followed by Versova, Dadar and Aksa. Recreational and religious activities are major contributing factors for the abundance of plastics in beaches.
The State of Kerala too is reeling under the impact of microplastic pollution. Microplastics were recovered from all sediment samples from Vembanad lake — the longest in India. It is indicative of their extensive distribution in the lake. Researchers also found microplastics in the gut of anchovies caught from the mud bank area of Alappuzha. As clams and fishes are the major source of protein to the local population, this contamination of food chain is alarming. Further adding to the problem, it was discovered that water samples of the remotest of the lakes in the Tibetan plateau have tested positive for microplastic pollution.
Given the spread of the problem especially in India, it is high time for the Government to take notice and act. Suitable regulatory measures are required to stop manufacturing microplastics and this will stem their proliferation, which will in turn be in the best interests of mankind and environment.
(The writer is an environmental journalist)