New research shows microplastics are capable of carrying diseases that make us sick
We can't always see them, but microplastics are everywhere.
They're the result of countless synthetic materials breaking down over time. Scientists estimate that 2% to 12% of the dust in our homes is made of microplastics.
Plastic pollution has been a known problem for decades, but understanding the health impacts on animals, the environment and us is fairly new.
One immediate concern is ingesting pieces of plastic that our bodies can't metabolize. But the particles themselves aren't the only issue.
Scientists with UC Davis now have proof that certain hearty disease pathogens can attach themselves to microplastics and travel long distances on land and in water. They do this by adhering to sticky biofilms that form on plastic surfaces.
"We already know that microplastics exist in pretty remote areas of the ocean" said Dr. Emma Zhang, a recent graduate of UC Davis' veterinary program.
And if those microplastics are carrying diseases, those diseases could infect animals in regions they otherwise would not be able to.
Zhang and her co-author, Dr. Karen Shapiro, worked with a team to study three specific disease pathogens. They include giardia and cryptosporidium (crypto), both of which can cause stomach illnesses in humans.
Microplastics carrying these pathogens can travel long distances on ocean surfaces or sink to lower depths. That is where animals like shellfish can ingest them and accumulate plastic and those pathogens in their bodies.
"And that would have really important implications both from our own health as human consumers of seafood but for the health of marine mammals that really depend on these food webs," Zhang said.
Infectious disease experts say that these kinds of pathogens can easily survive in water.
"We do know that the pathogens that we are particularly interested in can survive from weeks up to years in seawater," Shapiro said.
Shapiro said further research is needed to see if attaching to plastics actually gives pathogens an advantage, resulting in longer lifespans compared to free-floating pathogens.
Both Shapiro and Zhang said this connection between the plastics we produce and the potential for the spread of disease highlights how our lifestyle choices and long-term health are deeply connected.
"And this is one example where everyone can make a difference because our dependence and everyday use of plastics is something we can choose to enact or not enact every single day," Shapiro said.
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