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The Plasticene Era: Understanding the Dangerous Effects of Microplastics on Brain Health
The world is currently facing an environmental crisis — “The Plasticene Era”.
The increase in worldwide plastic production over the past 70 years has led to extensive distribution and abundance of microplastics. Microplastics are small particles that vary in shape, polymers, size, and concentrations, which are present in marine water, freshwater, food, drinks, air, and biota, among others.
Notably, microplastics are potential vectors of toxic chemicals, impacting human health. The chemical properties of microplastics, including additives added during production, make them multifaceted stressors, affecting the brain’s health once ingested.
Despite their extensive presence in the environment, insufficient knowledge about their implications on human health limits the ability to fully understand and address the dangers they pose. We explore the sources, abundance, chemicals, exposure pathways, and implications of microplastics on human health while highlighting the need for future and further research.
Sources and Abundance of Microplastics
Plastic has taken over the world, quite literally. We now live in what scientists call the “Plasticene Era,” a period defined by extensive plastic production and environmental pollution. In fact, microplastics have become so ubiquitous that they’re now considered key geological indicators of this era. Worldwide plastic production has exploded in the last few decades, and with it, microplastics have infiltrated every aspect of our environment.
They can be found in marine and freshwater, agroecosystems, atmosphere, biota, and even our food and drinking-water. Microplastics can be as thin as small veils or as hard and compact as rocks. They’re carried by the wind over…
