In a recent study by Australian scientists, micro plastic was found in human excreta. Yes, your reading it right! For a week 8 volunteers kept note on the food they consumed. Most of it right out of plastic packaging, including water. The micro plastic varied from 5 -500mm.It is certain that micro plastic came from people’s diet.
Micro plastic is basically plastic particles which are less than 5 milli meters (mm).
As per scientists plastic has already travelled up the food chain, this study however just proves that people have been consuming plastic over the years. Plastic can however travel up the gut, liver and can enter the blood stream.
Further research needs to be conducted to identify long term problems associated with consumption of plastic. At present there is no accumulation of plastic in the human body.
Quite often we have seen stories about kilograms of plastic recovered from cows and whales. Insects too are capable of carrying plastic below 5mm. Since other living beings were feeding on plastic it just needed some time for plastic to reach us.
The European Parliament last year banned usage of certain beauty products that had traces of micro plastic.
In India we still have not been focusing in great detail on environment, healthcare like the west. It’ll take a little longer till we reach there.