Microplastics feat. Viruses — Brace Yourselves for the Upcoming Disaster
Scientists recently discovered that viruses can live and continue to be infectious while “hitch-hiking” on microplastics in freshwater.
Climate change, pandemics, wars, Identity politics, etc. are currently the trending hot topics amongst us and don’t get me wrong, these are of course the things we should be discussing since they affect us directly.
But, while discussing these, making them the only topics on the mainstream, we’re missing out on some very important events happening around us, one of which includes the threat of Microplastics.
Recently scientists have discovered that viruses can live and continue to be infectious while “hitch-hiking” on microplastics in freshwater. Researchers from the University of Stirling found that rotavirus, which causes diarrhoea and an upset stomach, could survive for up to three days in lake water by binding itself to the surfaces of microplastics (Have to give it to them, always finding new ways to spread and survive).
Microplastics are little plastic fragments that are smaller than 5 mm. They have been discovered all throughout the world, including in the oceans, the air we breathe, and even our blood.
You might not have grasped the depth of the situation here, since most of us will be asking what’s the big deal about it, we’ve faced a pandemic on a global scale, and now we’re recovering from it, hence what is so special with this one! So in order to understand the scale of this upcoming disaster (can’t say upcoming since it’s already here), let’s look at some data which are very alarming and terrifying.
The biodegradation of even the toughest plastics, like bottles, can take more than 450 years. And beyond the plastic we can see piling up, there is much more since these plastics degrade into smaller fragments known as microplastics once they leave our hands. You won’t be able to clearly notice them because this kind of plastic is less than 5mm thick.
Roughly eight tonnes of plastic waste are added to our water systems every year by humans. Our oceans end up receiving this plastic and large bits of it will become microplastics when they are broken down by the ocean environment and the sun’s UV radiation. Even in the Mariana Trench, which is the world’s deepest natural trench, plastic has been discovered. And the majority of this plastic is found as minute, invisible particles, while some of it is still huge, like plastic bags.
According to a 2018 study, only 9% of all plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled, and 60 per cent of all plastics are in landfills or the natural environment, whereas 12 per cent of all plastics are burned. Microplastics were also discovered to be widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, according to a study published in Environmental Research. With an average of 195,500 plastic particles per gram, apples had one of the highest microplastic counts, while broccoli and carrots averaged more than 100,000 particles per gramme.
Microplastics were examined in eleven of the most popular bottled water brands in the world. The findings revealed that a startling 93% of bottled water had microplastics in it. The amount of microplastic allowed in bottled water is currently unregulated, so businesses are not held responsible for the microplastics we might be ingesting.
What does this new study reveal?
As opposed to other studies that concentrated on the transmission of viruses in sterile hospital settings, the study that was published in the journal Environmental Pollution was the first to investigate this particular problem in nature. It is a part of a bigger initiative known as the Plastic Vectors project, financed by the Natural Environment Research Council, which looks into how plastics in the environment can help spread bacteria and viruses and the potential effects it could have on humans health.
Scientists in the study found out that rotavirus, which causes diarrhoea and an upset stomach, could survive for up to three days in water bodies by binding itself to the surfaces of microplastics. Professor Richard Quilliam, lead researcher on the project says “Microplastics are so small that they could potentially be ingested by someone swimming,”. “Sometimes they wash up on the beach as lentil-sized, brightly coloured pellets called nurdles that children might pick up and put in their mouths. It doesn’t take many virus particles to make you sick,” he added.
Additionally, he added, some viruses have a tendency to release themselves from the plastic into the sand or water, increasing their environmental endurance. The researchers only examined the pathogens’ ability to endure on microplastics for up to three days, so it’s likely that they could persist for longer.
“This research is very much a proof-of-concept for conducting more research into how long pathogens can survive by binding to microplastics, as we only tested for three days, and what happens to them next.”
The researchers tested two types of viruses — those with an envelope, or “lipid coat” around them, such as the flu virus (they tested bacteriophage Phi6), and those without — enteric viruses, such as rotavirus and norovirus (they tested rotavirus strain SA11). They discovered that the viruses with envelope quickly disintegrated, rendering the virus inactive, whereas those without an envelope were able to successfully bind to the microplastics and live.
So that’s the summary of the latest study and have to say it is very concerning since microplastics are literally everywhere, and we’re giving these viruses an additional medium for their survival and spreading. Even if we leave out the virus part, the threat caused by microplastics is still very large. Since these are microscopic substances, we’re not giving them ample attention that they deserve. Heck, we don’t even act upon the macro plastic pollution we’re facing let alone micro. Well, unless we act upon it, we’re destined to be doomed since the amount is compounding day by day with zero actions being taken.
Until next time…
[The above-written article is just the personal opinion of the author based on the available data and can be wrong in many areas still, as I’ve tried to make it maximum error-free. Do use your conscience while reading and keep on questioning. Thank you for reading.]
