How dangerous plastics have become part of the human diet
The destructive nature of plastics is a characteristic that is familiar to most plastic-using people. If disposed of incorrectly, plastics can be found in the most inconvenient places; places which are more likely to be damaged by the introduction of harmful plastics.
Yet there is a second destructive nature of plastic. A study from the University of Newcastle - which is the first global analysis on the problems surrounding the human ingestion of micro plastics - has revealed some pertinent yet harrowing findings.
- Humans are, on average, ingesting 5 grams of plastics per week. That is the equivalent of a plastic credit card! This is due to the wide prevalence of micro plastics within foods that we consume.
- The largest contributor to plastic ingestion is water. Yes, you read correctly. Water! This includes both tap and bottled water from all over the world. There are variations in the quantity of plastic found in water sources, but a nation such as the US, revealed to have plastic fibres in 94.4% of the water samples used throughout research.
- Microplastics have even been found to be airborne. A recent study indicated the finding of microplastics in the Pyrénées mountains in France, having resulted from airborne microplastics travel.
- Additionally, animals (such as shellfish) are also ingesting plastics as a result of pollution. In turns, these plastics are then ingested by humans who eat such creatures.
These warning signals should be alerting us to the ecological and health disaster that has come about due to the pollution of plastics. Not only is plastic endangering the natural environment, but it has interrupted the food chain.
WWF International Director General, Marco Lamertini says “not only are plastics polluting our oceans and waterways and killing marine life - it’s in all of us and we can’t escape consuming plastics...If we don’t want plastic in our bodies, we need to stop the millions of tons of plastic that continue leaking into nature every year. In order to tackle the plastic crisis, we need urgent action at government, business and consumer levels, and a global treaty with global targets to address plastic pollution.”
What was once an item that we thought we were disposing, has now become an item that we are unknowingly consuming.
Perhaps we, as individuals, should be asking ourselves how we can address and possibly fix these issues. Thankfully, there are positive steps being taken to help counter the prevalence of plastics. Many environmentally-conscious brands are addressing this dilemma by using eco-friendly packaging for their products.
Welcome Organics is pleased to be on the forefront of countering the problematic consumption of plastics in conventional products, by providing customers with a much better option. From re-usable bread bags and produce bags (made from recycled plastics), to bamboo sporks and sustainable clothing pegs, Welcome Organics has range of environmentally-friendly products, designed to make your life easier, safer and healthier.