Today, the use of microplastics has increased a lot, and they are found everywhere. We can see it in the soil, the oceans, and even inside the human body. As I have mentioned it multiple times in the past, research shows that we consume a SIM card size of plastics daily without our knowledge. China has done some studies and found out that microplastics are the biggest reasons for infertility in men. They find microplastics in semen samples. Today, Microplastics have even reached agriculture and they are now affecting plant growth.
Microplastics are found to be the number 1 cancer causing agent and they are even found in Antarctica. Photosynthesis is the fundamental for the human evolution and it is what is keeping life alive on this planet. The air we breathe comes from Photosynthesis from the plants. If that fundamental is affected, then we definitely have to find a solution for the same, otherwise it can be hard to live a peaceful life on this planet.
Usage of plastics in agriculture
If you look at the above image, we can see the usage of plastics in Agriculture. They use it to cover the surface around the crops. This technique is also called plasticulture and this has created a big impact in the agriculture industry. They say the yield has improved because of this technique, but we don't know how much harm we are creating because of this. Weeds might get prevented, but we are introducing microplastics to the environment because of this, and the food we eat becomes contaminated with microplastics. I'm not against innovations, but there are methods where there are materials that are similar to plastics, but they are bio materials, easily eaten by microbes. Those bioplastics should be used for this purpose instead of using actual plastics.
The other place where plastics are widely used is when packaging food materials. They wrap the vegetables and fruits in plastic to maintain the freshness. What people don't understand is that they easily consume microplastics from that and end up getting some health issues. The root cause of the health issue may not be known, but without their knowledge, plastic would have been the reason for their illness. This is a practice that the younger generation should avoid doing and they should switch to proper biodegradable products instead of plastic products. Sometimes alternative options can be a costly one but we cannot die instead by using plastics.
Food cycle can get affected
Fresh water algae is the primary source of oxygen in this earth. There are still places in the Earth that are not contaminated by Human presence. But microplastics can easily travel through several means. Right next to my compound, I saw a cow chewing a plastic bag yesterday. This is how it enters the system, and slowly becomes microplastics and they can even travel in the air.
Imagine the air we breathe and the water we drink is full of microplastics. It can look clean in our eyes, but only when it is lab tested we will know the presence of microplastics. They say that river water is not pure anymore as they are being contaminated by microplastics and it is not fit for drinking anymore. We have to process it before drinking it.
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