The first few man made plastics were created in during the nineteenth century had a more organic composition, as they were a mix of cellulose (from cotton fibers) and camphor (a plant) as well as carbon, hydrogen, and sometimes silicone, nitrogen, and chlorine.  Today’s plastics, however, are chains of molecules known as polymers and composed of synthetic fibers such as bakelite, and nylon. From the time they were invented to the mid twentieth century plastics began to be mass produced and used at rates never before seen. Until the 1960s most people did not know or disregarded the way plastics were disposed, eventually they realized many were ending in bodies of water, a solution proposed to mitigate plastic waste was recycling. Although this method aimed at reducing waste produced by plastics, there were still many cases where plastics would be disposed of improperly or not able to be recycled, and the plastics already in the ocean were not removed. A large amount of this waste is still in oceans today affecting marine wildlife, and possibly human health as well; scientists are still trying to understand the extent to which these plastics are affecting living organisms exposed to them. Current government and company efforts are also analyzed to determine what efforts are being carried out to mitigate plastic pollution and change plastic production.

When plastics break down into smaller pieces they are referred to as microplastics (less than 1 mm in diameter), for a long time the tracking of these plastics and their impacts has been limited because if their size and technology available. Recent research has focused on the effect of ingesting microplastics in marine biota, the organisms that were being focused on were copepods (zooplanktons) and catsharks, despite having different setups both case studies aimed at determining whether these organisms consumed microplastics, and if they did what their effects were on these organisms. The fact that these experiments aren’t focused on a specific species would suggest that ingestion of microplastics can affect any organism regardless of their size or actual dietary needs; as well as in any location around the world. Both publications of the findings seem to also suggest that consumption of microplastics affects both the individual ingesting these microplastics as well as their offspring. In the Copepod study in particular it was noted that the exposure to microplastics resulted in “production of smaller eggs, with reduced hatching success, and energetic deficiencies resulting in reduced growth”. Since these zooplankton (considered keystone species) and sharks are both part of food webs in their own environments it would be valid to infer that if these species are experiencing a decreased or smaller population, then organisms that depend on them would experience these shifts as well.  These findings are alarming because they demonstrate a negative correlation between leftover microplastics and aquatic animal species. What is most concerning is the fact that the long term effects of plastics on fish populations are not truly understood yet, and neither are the changes for biodiversity. The quantification of microplastics in an area would be a topic for further research for both papers.

In addition to affecting the health of marine animals who mistakenly consume microplastics, these particles might also be potentially ingested by humans. Aside from the physical damages that arise from microplastics, another risk that they pose is that of carrying chemical pollutants due to their high absorbency. What is also alarming is the fact some of the marine organisms that consume microplastics are also consumed by people and such is the case of mussels and Solea Solea (Common sole flatfish) which are of high commercial interest within the FAO GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean). In the study about the flatfish it was found that “microplastics were found in 95% of the 533 specimens of S.Solea representing a higher percentage in respect to other species”, while in the mussel research it was found that in fact chemicals could be absorbed by microplastic pellets and afterwards concentrated into the tissue of the marine organism that ate it. Both findings together seem to confirm the notion that microplastics are not only ingested by fish that humans eat but that they could be vectors for dangerous chemicals that cause damage to tissues, and stay lodged within the human body. As of now there aren’t clear indicators of the type of harm and extent which plastics may have. More research would need to be carried out in order to see what damages occur for the different types of chemicals that microplastics might have, as well as finding out the long term effects of these chemicals in the body. It is clear that once any sort of synthetic plastic enters marine ecosystems they are harmful to simple and complex creatures alike, and it is more than worrying to not know the true extent to which plastics can damage the human body.

While the biological effects of plastics are being studied, there is also research being done about how plastic waste can be stopped, and whether the plastics already in the ocean may be removed from the environment efficiently to prevent further damage. In political discourse, the United Nations Convention of the Law of Sea (UNCLOS) has set up “legally binding measures to prevent and reduce marine pollution” (Jambeck, Hardesty, Brooks, Friend, & Teleki, 2018). One of the most recent and supported initiatives, is one that aims at changing the ‘linear production and consumption model’ and replacing it with a more ‘circular economy’ approach that aims to connect citizens, industry, and governments uniformly. Several companies have partnered with government agencies to incentivise residents to properly separate their recyclable waste items and exchange them for money, or points redeemable for household items, food, and other benefits. Not only are residents winning, but the plastic that is being collected can be reused once more after its been “granulated and sold to plastic processing companies” (Jambeck et al., 2018). These approaches already seem to be moving in the right direction, and could be even be promoted internationally soon, as their application can be extended to other forms of waste aside from plastic (such as electronics, or metals).

In addition to preventing more plastics from entering the natural ecosystems, to fully halt the current effects of plastics on marine organisms, research is also being conducted to figure out ways current floating microplastics can be removed efficiently. In a recent article titled “A small-scale, portable method for extracting microplastics from marine sediments”, researchers were able to test a new device called the Sediment-Microplastic Isolation (SMI) which was used to test the efficacy of separating microplastics from fine sediments on the basis of density flotation. The findings of this research demonstrated the apparatus had an efficacy of 95.8% (Coppock, Cole, Lindeque, Queiros, Galloway, 2017), and proved to be extremely cost effective and promising in terms of reproducibility on a larger scale.

Plastic pollution is an issue that affects organisms on all trophic levels and on virtually all locations with an estimated amount of plastic on the ocean surface of 7,000 to 35,000 tons (Cozar, Echevarria, Gonzalez-Gordillo, Iriogien, Ubeda, 2014). Currently all research into marine organisms has led to the conclusion that in fact organisms are consuming these plastics and in some cases demonstrating direct negative reactions, not only in the individual but in their offspring as well. More recently, there have been concerns regarding plastics found in fish for human consumption and the effects this might have on human health. Research into addressing these central issues is divided into two parts, the first is the halting of careless and unsafe disposal of plastics into the environment; the second sets the goal of removing present contaminant microplastics from bodies of water. Both courses of action, however, still have further research to be completed, in the first: it is finding ways in which agreements between stakeholders will be held long term, and determining how these policies may be applied and oversight conducted to make sure everything is up to par. The second is more research into actual levels of microplastics in different regions to determine the intensity of treatments.

To conclude, plastic pollution is not a matter limited to marine life forms, it is one that as we have found out also poses a threat to human well-being, and one which needs to be confronted, some methods that are currently being explored are illustrated here.

Works Cited Page

Alomar, C., & Deudero, S. (2017). Evidence of microplastic ingestion in the shark Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810 in the continental shelf off the western Mediterranean Sea.Environmental Pollution,223, 223-229. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.01.015

Avio, C. G., Gorbi, S., Milan, M., Benedetti, M., Fattorini, D., Errico, G. D., . . . Regoli, F. (2015). Pollutants bioavailability and toxicological risk from microplastics to marine mussels.Environmental Pollution,198, 211-222. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.12.021

Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Fileman, E., Halsband, C., & Galloway, T. S. (2015). The Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Feeding, Function and Fecundity in the Marine Copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Environmental Science and Technology,49, 1130-1137. doi:10.1021/es504525u

Coppock, R. L., Cole, M., Lindeque, P. K., Keiros, A. M., & Galloway, T. S. (2017). A small-scale, portable method for extracting microplastics from marine sediments.Environmental Pollution,230, 829-837. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.017

Jambeck, J., Hardesty, B. D., Brooks, A. L., Friend, T., Teleki, K., Fabres, J., . . . Wilcox, C. (2018). Challenges and emerging solutions to the land-based plastic waste issue in Africa.Marine Policy,96, 256-263. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.10.041Pellini, G., Gomiero, A., Fortibuoni, T., Ferra, C., Grati, F., Tassetti, A. N., . . . Scarella, G. (2018). Characterization of microplastic litter in the gastrointestinal tract of Solea solea from the Adriatic Sea. Environmental Pollution,234, 943-952. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.038