As we being to talk about microplastics in fresh water, we have to realize that plastic pollution is doing the rounds for a while and the disastrous impact it has on marine habitat. We also have recently learned about a huge sea whale that has come off-shore with large amounts of plastic waste materials inside its stomach. And the reason behind the whale’s untimely death is because of the excess plastic inside the stomach as it couldn’t digest.
So, what are microplastics? They are also plastic particles that are barely visible to the eye. The danger posed by these tiny particles has hardly been researched to date. Researchers have now carried out the world’s first risk assessment for microplastics in lakes and rivers and the study concludes that aquatic organisms in Europe are not-yet acutely endangered.
Microplastics are a small grain of dust but have a significant impact on the world. The danger it can use is yet to be explored by many. In recent years, as we being to look at plastic pollution as a major problem, the depth of issues is surfacing one at a time.
Any plastic particle that is smaller than 5 millimetres is considered as micro-plastics. There are two types of plastic. Plastic granules and Plastic Fragments.
An important source of microplastics is fibre fragments which are released into the wastewater during the washing of synthetic textiles. Primary microplastics are discharged into wastewater through cleaning processes, for instance in industrial plants or house cleaning. Although not specifically designed for this purpose, wastewater treatment plants are quite efficient at filtering microplastics out of wastewater. Nevertheless, large quantities of microplastics are distributed in water and soil all over the world.
No danger for Europe
The environmental scientist and Empa researcher Bernd Nowack are investigating the environmental impact of micro-plastics. Together with Véronique Adam, Nowack has now carried out the world’s first risk assessment for freshwater fish and other aquatic organisms. The researchers have compared and evaluated the results of countless studies. In order to find out whether there is a risk to the environment, they applied a method established for the assessment of environmental risks from chemicals. The researchers have come to a conclusion with a compared real measured water pollution by microplastics with a threshold value for possible toxic effects in different organisms. If the pressures and thresholds overlap, there is a real environmental risk.
Result: In Europe, there is no danger to the environment, as the concentrations of micro-plastics actually measured in the waters studied to date are well below the threshold values. However, it is well known that Asia is particularly affected by the plastic problem. Nowack and Adam also found an overlap in the data from Asia between the pressures and the threshold values, even if this is extremely small.
Sewage Treatment plans for protection
The researchers have identified the differences between the regions of the world in terms of pollution from microplastics and the risk it may have on the environment. Especially in regions with no or only a limited functioning wastewater treatment system, higher environmental concentrations can occur. This is because well-functioning wastewater treatment plants are particularly important for “protecting” the environment from microplastics.
Nowack’s conclusion: “There is currently no evidence that microplastics pose a risk to the environment in Europe.” However, further investigations are necessary to be able to definitively rule out negative consequences, as the overall data basis is still quite sparse, especially with regard to local hotspots of microplastics in the environment. For example, Nowack recommends controlled studies with standard methods and complete characterisation of the particles. His own research group “Environmental Risk Assessment and Management” in Empa’s “Technology and Society” department in St. Gallen will certainly pursue the topic further. Similar risk assessments for microplastics in soils and a study for the oceans are planned. Current research projects also include quantifying microplastic flows into the environment and investigating the formation of microplastics during washing and weathering.
As we stare at a heart-wrenching situation towards our natural habitat, especially the marine ecosystem which has been hit badly by plastic pollution, it is important for us to take the preventive measures before it’s too late.