The danger of microplastics

Plastics are ubiquitous in everyday life because they are lighter, cost less than alternatives and are extremely useful. However, they may remain in the environment for years as they degrade into smaller and smaller pieces through wear and tear, unless properly disposed of or recycled. The smaller pieces of plastic (smaller than 5 mm) are called microplastics, while nanoplastics refer to extremely small pieces or particles of plastic (≤100 nm). Microplastics and nanoplastics comprise mixtures of polymers and functional additives, which may also include residual ‘impurities’. Functional additives include flame retardants, antistatic agents, surface modifiers, rheology control and anti-scratch additives, clarifiers and nucleating agents. For example, many people are familiar with the use of polystyrene in packaging and its ability to withstand impact and absorb shock.

Microbeads (deliberately produced microplastics) have been manufactured for about 50 years and it has only relatively recently been recognised that they can pass through water filtration systems and end up in the marine environment, posing a potential threat to aquatic life (United Nations Environment Programme, 2015). While some countries have banned exfoliating beads in facial and body scrubs and cosmetic products (The US in 2015, Canada in 2016, New Zealand in 2018, Sweden in 2019, Italy in 2020, UK in 2021, Korea in 2021) to reduce the deliberate manufacture of primary microplastics, they remain in cleaning products and fertilisers. Most microplastics (70–80%) are unintentionally formed through wear and tear, as well as the poor management of discarded plastics, known as secondary microplastics (Ali et al, 2023). Like other sectors, healthcare—and those working in healthcare—contribute to the ever-growing challenge of microplastics in the environment through the heavy use of disposable products.