What Is Nanoplastic?
What is Nanoplastic and its impact on our health and the environment?
Nanoplastic is a piece of plastic that is 1 micrometre or smaller in size – equal to 0.001 mm.
Nanoplastics are extremely small plastic particles, typically defined as having a size less than 100 nanometres (nm) — 0.1 micrometres (µm) or one-billionth of a metre. Due to their minuscule size, they represent a relatively new concern in the context of environmental pollution and health impacts compared to larger plastic particles.
How Are Nanoplastics Created?
Nanoplastics can come from a variety of sources, including the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles or packaging materials, as well as from the abrasion of synthetic textiles during laundering or from industrial processes.
The breakdown of plastic materials can occur due to various factors, including exposure to sunlight, heat, and mechanical stress. Once the plastics start to break down, they release smaller particles like microplastics and nanoplastics into the environment.
What Is the Impact Of Nanoplastic?
Nanoplastics’ small size allows them to behave differently in the environment and within biological systems than larger plastic particles. Their tiny size enables them to penetrate cell membranes and enter organisms at the base of the food web, potentially leading to bioaccumulation and biomagnification through ecological chains.
The potential impacts of nanoplastics are a growing area of concern and research. Due to their size, they could pose significant risks to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as to human health. Nanoplastics might interact with biological systems in ways that larger plastic particles cannot, such as crossing biological barriers (e.g., blood-brain barrier or the placenta), affecting cell health leading to toxicological effects.
How Do Nanoplastics Affect The Human Body?
Nanoplastics can enter the human body in three main ways – inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. As the particles are so tiny they can spread throughout the body and have been found in human lungs, brain, placenta and more. Exposure to plastics can harm human health and has been linked to fertility, hormonal, metabolic and neurological problems.
Dealing With The Problem Of Nanoplastic
Unfortunately, the production of plastic is only increasing over time and all the existing plastic on the planet is breaking down into micro and nanoplastic. The amount of nanoplastic in the environment is only going to increase unless we can drastically curb our dependence on plastic. The manufacturers of these harmful plastic need to be held account for the damage they are doing.
Work has begun on a Global Plastic Treaty but many plastic and petrochemical-producing countries and the fossil fuel industry have pushed against production limits. Plastic pollution can simply not be solved without limiting production.
