Microplastics in the Food Chain

Researchers have discovered microplastics in almost all of the food we eat.

Due to the flow of the ocean’s currents, the world’s garbage gets trapped in the center, forming large islands of plastic, fishing nets, etc. (Image Credit: Fangz, Public Domain)

Microplastics have been found at the top of mountains, at the bottom of the ocean, in the atmosphere, in tap and bottled water, in animals, and in the human body. Now researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered them in the plants we eat, meaning they have infiltrated the food chain far more than previously thought.

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The United Nations estimates our oceans contain 51 trillion microplastic particles, 500 times more than the stars in the Milky Way. The largest collection is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the northern Pacific Ocean, estimated to be 1.6 million square kilometers, 3 times the size of France. Similar collections exist in the southern Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and in the northern and southern Atlantic Ocean.

The majority of microplastic in the ocean comes from the degradation of plastic waste, which finds its way into the ocean due to improper recycling or carelessness. The waves, sun, and wind break down the…