Microplastics

Microplastics are slowly affecting the world as we know it

By: Landon Tucker, Journalist

February 14, 2024

What are microplastics

Microplastics are synthetic plastics that get turned into at most 5 mm pieces. They are very hard to decompose and could take up to a 1000 years to do so. Usually, they are made up of textiles, tires, and dust. They mix into the sand in some places and cause the sand to look multicolored. You could find the microplastics getting in the water from wastewater, wind, and runoff from cities and neighborhoods.

What happens to the microplastics

Microplastics can also get in the water by people littering like, throwing plastics on the ground. Sadly most microplastics get eaten by sea animals and cause them to choke. But most of the plastics just float to the top and group together. Sometimes when all the microplastics and trash get caught together in a ocean currant they cause a garbage patch. There is one garbage patch that is almost 800,000 miles in length it’s called they great pacific garbage patch.

What it’s causing

It causes many animals to either choke, less lots of nutrition, stomach blockage, starvation, and even death. Due to the increase of microplastics and therefore causing more animals to eat it and decrease marine life. Also when ever we eat the animals like fish we end up eating about 3 particles in just one fish. Marine wildlife aren’t the only ones that get effected by all the plastic. When ever we eat microplastics it can even cause us harm like malnutrition, inflammation, less chance of fertility, and death.

How to stop microplastic pollution

Here are some ways to stop microplastics filter your water, use plastics cosmetics, avoid microwaving plastics and microbeads and use more natural items.