Hundreds of species of fish are ingesting microplastics. Data gathered from multiple studies has shown that a total of 386 marine fish species have ingested microplastics, with 210 species that are commercially important.

With time, microplastics can end up in the muscle tissue of the fish, which is consumed by humans. Other marine life that consume fish were more likely to ingest microplastics as well.

In the last decade alone, the proportion of fish consuming plastic has doubled across all species. Studies published from 2010-2013 found that an average of 15% of the fish sampled contained plastic; in studies published from 2017-2019, that share rose to 33%.

Hundreds of fish species, including many that humans eat, are consuming plastic

The first report of plastics being ingested by wildlife came in 1969 when they found plastic in the stomach of a sea bird. Today, the number of microplastics that we find in wildlife continues to increase. This is likely due to improvement in technology that detects microplastics, and of course an increase in microplastics in the environment.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Microplastics in our environment have been a concern for quite some time. These tiny 5mm pieces of plastics are everywhere, from the highest to the lowest points of the Earth. Most of the concern around microplastics is focused on ocean contamination.

Anywhere from 93,000 to 236,000 tons of microplastics end up in the ocean each year. Unfortunately, while we talk about the microplastics in the ocean, anywhere from 107,000 to 730,000 tons of microplastics are dumped onto agricultural soils in Europe and the U.S each year.

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Microplastics end up on farmland through processed sewage sludge, plastic mulches, slow-release fertilizers, and protective coating on seeds. In fact, many of the microplastics ending up in the ocean are land-based, coming from agricultural areas.

Research conducted by Mary Beth Kirkham has shown that microplastics affect the way the plants grow significantly. Plants grown with microplastics have higher levels of cadmium contamination. Cadmium is a carcinogen found in the environment due to human activity. It comes from batteries, car tires, and is naturally occurring in the phosphate rock used to make agricultural fertilizers.

Sixteen days into Kirkham’s microplastics and cadmium experiment, her plastic-treated wheat plants began to yellow and wilt. Water had been pooling on the top of the soil in the plastic treated plants, but to keep her experiment consistent, she had to give all the plants the same amount of water.

There is an Alarming Amount of Microplastics in Farm Soil—and Our Food Supply

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

A 2019 study conducted by WWF International showed that the average person could be ingesting as much plastic as the equivalent of a credit card every week. The study found that one of the main sources of plastic comes from the water we drink and they also mentioned certain food like shellfish, “…which tends to be eaten whole so the plastic in their digestive systems is also consumed.”

Photo: Stephanie Wright

Reuters used the information from this study to illustrate how this plastic consumption adds up over time.

In a month, we ingest the weight of a 4×2 Lego brick in plastic, and in a year, the amount of plastic in a fireman’s helmet. This may not sound like much, but it can add up. At this rate of consumption, in a decade, we could be eating 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) in plastic, the equivalent of over two sizable pieces of plastic pipe.

How much plastic are you eating?

Plastic production has drastically increased over the last 50 years. Plastic is not biodegradable and only breaks down into smaller microparticles over time. Plastics are known carcinogens. Microplastics are everywhere from our rain, to our food, and even the highest and lowest points of the Earth.

If you’re worried about plastic toxicity and the consequences of it, read this article to learn more about how to detox from plastics and other endocrine system disruptors.

Microplastics have now been discovered at the highest and lowest points of the Earth. In 2018, microplastics were discovered at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench. Now, after analyzing samples collected by national geographic in 2019, scientists have discovered microplastic particles have been discovered near the top of Mount Everest. Samples were collected from 11 locations on the mountain ranging from 5,300 meters to 8,440 meters high.

The fibers likely came from clothing, tents, and ropes worn by mountaineers. In 2019, around 880 people climbed Everest. The highest concentration of microplastics was found near Base Camp, where people spend most of their time.

“It really surprised me to find microplastics in every single snow sample I analysed,” said Imogen Napper, at the University of Plymouth, who led the new research. “Mount Everest is somewhere I have always considered remote and pristine. To know we are polluting near the top of the tallest mountain is a real eye-opener.”

Microplastic pollution found near summit of Mount Everest

Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic that come off plastic products. They can be carried by wind, they’re in the rain, the ocean, and pretty much every surface of the Earth. At this point, they’re making their way into our food and water supply, as well. We release millions of tonnes of microplastics each year. Plastics are toxic to us and the animals around us.

This study was released by the journal One Earth. Scientists found microplastics in every snow sample they analyzed, with the most contaminated sample containing 119 particles per liter. The average was 30 particles per liter.

Plastic is in everything, thus it’s everywhere. Our clothes are made of plastic, our furniture is made of plastic, and it’s seemingly impossible to get through life without it. The cut down on plastic waste, we recommend shopping for cotton clothing as much as possible. Eat at home and cook your own food as often as you can. Look for glass whenever it’s available, and be conscious of what you consume, and how.

It might be time to switch to loose leaf tea.

A study from researchers at McGill University in Canada has found that a single tea bag releases 11.6 billion microplastic particles and 3.1 billion smaller nano plastic particles. Those numbers are much higher than the amounts of plastics measured previously in other foods and beverages.

Researchers tested 4 different types of plastic commercial tea bags by cutting them open, washing them, and steeping them in almost-boiling water for 5 minutes. Researchers then analyzed the tea bags and their particles using electron microscopes and spectroscopy.

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The Canadian team tested the potential toxicity of the microparticles released from the tea bags by exposing water fleas to the contaminated water, finding the particles had behavioural effects and developmental malformations on the fleas.

Milk? Sugar? Microplastics? Some tea bags found to shed billions of particles

Teabags were commonly made out of natural fibers and many still are, however many tea bags made out of natural fibers are sealed with plastic. It’s becoming more and more common for teabags to be made out of heat-safe plastics. These are most common in the pyramid-shaped tea bags that tend to be a bit more heavy-duty.

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastics less than five millimeters long. Microplastics are the most prevalent type of marine debris, and can also be found in the rain, the wind, and even inside our own bodies. Microplastics come off of out clothes, plastic bottle fragments, cigarette filters, beauty products, and many other plastic materials. The particles then breakdown into nano-plastics, even smaller particles of plastic.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

The effects of microplastics on human health are largely unknown due to a lack of research. That being said, plastic is toxic and has been proven to cause cancer. Microplastics are everywhere, and we really have no way to filter them at this point. Check out this article to learn more about plastic toxicity and how to detox from it, and other endocrine system disruptors.

For alternatives to tea bags, try compostable tea bags, loose leaf tea, or metal reusable tea ball strainers.

A new study published in Environmental Science and Technology found microplastics in 100% of the seafood tested. Researchers acquired 10 oysters, 10 farmed tiger prawns, 10 wild squids, 10 sardines, and five wild blue crabs. All of the samples tested positive for at least trace levels of plastics, with varying amounts of plastic in each type of seafood. Sardines had the highest levels of plastic.

The study found that in an average serving of seafood, a person could consume approximately 0.7mg of plastic when eating oysters or squid, and up to 30mg of plastic in an average serving of sardines. A grain of rice weighs 30mg, on average.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

“From the edible marine species tested, sardines had the highest plastic content, which was a surprising result,” Riberio told the University of Queensland. “Another interesting aspect was the diversity of microplastic types found among species, with polyethylene predominant in fish and polyvinyl chloride the only plastic detected in oysters.”

Seafood Study Finds Plastic in 100% of Samples

Polyethylene, the most popular plastic in the world, was the most common plastic found in the samples. Plastics commonly end up in the ocean where they breakdown into tiny pieces called microplastics. Microplastics are absorbed by plankton and eaten by other marine life and are carried through the food chain. Microplastics are in everything, from the food we eat to the rainwater.

Microplastics have been a problem for quite some time. These little particles of plastic are in everything. They come off of your clothes in the washing machine. They come off cigarette filters, plastic bottle fragments, and are common in beauty products around the world. These are only a few of the sources of microplastics, but they are everywhere, including the rain and the air.

Image: Avada Environmental

Microplastics are plastic fragments less than five millimeters long that get caught up in Earth’s atmospheric systems and ocean ecosystems. After collecting data for 14 months, researchers calculated that more than 1,000 metric tons of microplastics are falling into protected areas of the western U.S every year, the equivalent of 120 million water bottles. Protected areas of the U.S, where samples were collected, only make up 6% of the U.S.

In the series of unfortunate events that is plastic pollution, researchers have come across a new problem that rivals that of acid rain; plastic rain. Because of the way microplastics move through our atmosphere they are now quite literally falling out of the sky, in the rain. As they fall into the oceans, and onto protected land, there is no way to get rid of them, and the problem is only expected to get worse. Plastic waste is expected to increase from 260 million tons a year to 460 million tons a year by 2030 as more developing countries join the middle class. More consumerism equals more plastic.

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More troubling still, microplastics eventually break into nanoplastics, bits so small that researchers may not be able to detect them without the right equipment. “I couldn’t see anything smaller than four microns, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there,” says Brahney. “Just because we can’t see them in front of us, doesn’t mean we’re not breathing them in.”

Plastic rain is the new acid rain

Of the wind and rain samples collected, 98% contain microplastics. Microfibers make up around 70% of the microplastics collected while around 30% were microbeads, commonly found in beauty products. Microbeads have been banned from beauty products in the U.S since 2015.

The rate at which humans consume is causing irreversible, unprecedented damage to our Earth. Plastic rain is just one of the many problems created in recent years of constant consumerism.