[Microplastics] Why You Should Care
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According to some studies, nearly 2,000 garbage trucks worth of plastic end up in the world’s rivers, lakes, and oceans, every … day. That’s 8 million metric tons. A 2023 study supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation found microplastics in the blubber, lungs, and acoustic organs of whales and seals. Other studies of microplastics in marine mammals found health impacts ranging from impaired immunity, reproductive toxicity, altered metabolism and cancer risks. These microplastics are in us, too. They have been found in human lungs, blood, and even placentas. And the problem could get worse because of environmental weathering as the plastics gradually breakdown and change. Timothy Allen, a contractor in NSF's Office of Legislative & Public Affairs, hosts this episode. Featured guests (in order of appearance) include: Dr. Lauren Pincus, an environmental chemist and post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University. Dr. Bhuvnesh Bharti, Associate Professor at Louisiana State University. 00:00 The Problem with Microplastics 00:49 Microplastic Categories 01:50 Microplastics in the Environment 02:01 Microplastics in Marine Mammals 02:22 Microplastics in Humans 02:31 Environmental Weathering 03:22 Microplastics & Pollutants 03:34 Microplastics in Water 03:55 Next Steps 04:34 A Future without Microplastics
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