The dangers of microplastics
Due to its chemical properties, microplastics bind floating pollutants and those that are stored in the sediments. These include pollutants that have long been banned or restricted in use due to their toxicity and longevity, for example polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The small particles act like a magnet on such substances: the longer they are in the water of rivers, lakes or oceans, the more chemicals they bind to themselves.
These tiny plastic fragments enter our food chain in several ways, for example, by eating fish. On average, every person ingests about 100 plastic particles per day. In terms of quantity, this corresponds to the size of a credit card per week. Small particles on the order of a few micrometers can be absorbed in the lungs or intestines, possibly resulting in hormone disorders, infertility, allergies, and cancer. Bound toxins and pathogens can not only find their way into the human body, but also spread infinitely on a geographical scale! Currents or migrating animals that carry microplastics contaminated with pathogens carry them to new areas and can threaten the wildlife there.