+443308187254Perspective Article - Journal of Research in Environmental Science and Toxicology ( 2024) Volume 13, Issue 1
Received: 11-Jan-2024, Manuscript No. JREST-24-124954; Editor assigned: 16-Jan-2024, Pre QC No. JREST-24-124954 (PQ); Reviewed: 30-Jan-2024, QC No. JREST-24-124954; Revised: 07-Feb-2024, Manuscript No. JREST-24-124954 (R); Published: 15-Feb-2024, DOI: 10.14303/2315-5698.2024.73
Due to their small size, micro plastics have the potential to enter the ocean through wastewater and end up in the stomachs of marine life. This may cause animals to accumulate micro plastics, which could subsequently end up in human diet. According to plastic oceans, almost 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans annually.
In a 2020 study on micro plastics in five different kinds of seafood, micro plastics were found in every sample tested, proving that they do certainly end up in our food products. Human health may be impacted by this. Learn more about plastics in seafood, the risks they pose to your health and the dangers of ocean pollution by reading on.
What are micro plastics?
Larger plastic particles can entangle plants and other marine life, posing a variety of health risks. However, analysts have recently begun to focus on micro plastics as well. These tiny plastic fragments are shorter than five millimeters. Given their small size, it is likely that they can navigate the seas with ease. It's possible for creatures to mistake them for food or accidentally burn through them while consuming other foods. Larger plastic particles may eventually split apart and drift over the ocean, transforming into smaller plastic particles. Certain manufacturers may also incorporate micro plastics into their goods. For almost 50 years, the cosmetics industry, for instance, has been using tiny plastic particles in their products.
Why are there plastics in seafood?
Because of the large amount of micro plastics in the water, they are very common in seafood. Micro plastics have been found in a wide range of creatures, as well as in oceans and rivers that feed into the oceans, according to research. For example, a research in 2020 discovered that 100 percent of two fish species in a river had micro plastics in their bodies. Plastics, particularly micro plastics, have the ability to migrate up the food chain. This happens when smaller animals consume plastics, then larger animals eat those creatures and then larger animals eat those animals again, causing micro plastic levels to rise. The top of the food chain, humans, may then consume plastic-contaminated animals.
Some potential effects of eating micro plastic contaminated seafood include:
Oxidative stress: occurs when the body's antioxidants and free radicals are out of equilibrium. This could have far-reaching consequences for a person's health, including an increased chance of serious health problems including cancer and heart stroke. Exposure to plastics may cause neurotoxicity, increasing the risk of brain health problems such as dementia.
Oxidative stress, consequent inflammatory and cytotoxic impacts were thought to be the main effects for MPs toxicity in inhalation exposure experiments. MPs can induce oxidative stress by producing oxidizing substances adsorbing to their surface, as well as reactive oxygen radicals created by the host during the inflammation used nanoparticles to stimulate pro-inflammatory replies in A549 lung cells and human gastric cancer cells. Green et al. (1998) found that larger polyethylene particles (0.3–10 m) promote the development of cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1b and TNF-a, some of which are inflammatory agents.
Disruption of hormones: Plastic may be an endocrine disruptor, which means it can alter the behavior of the endocrine system and the hormones it regulates. This has the potential to impact fertility, behavior and general health.
Thyroid damage: Micro plastics can harm the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a reliable source. The thyroid is responsible for a number of vital processes and is involved in the regulation of hormones that affect fertility.
Exposure to plastics has also been linked to an increased risk of cancer. This could occur as a result of the direct consequences either as a result of prolonged exposure to plastics or from other kinds of harm that plastics can do. As an example, oxidative stress is a risk factor for cancer. Micro plastics are rarely found in fish that are cultivated, especially when the environment is closely regulated. However, a number of studies trusted source has shown little plastic particles in farmed fish.
Reactive oxygen species are a part of MPs because of processing and polymerization. However, exposure to UV light or the presence of reactive metals can dramatically increase the amount of these free radicals. Free radicals were created as MPs aged and oxidized the target tissues. Polystyrene nanoparticles attach themselves to the intestinal epithelial surface. The study found that nano plastics led to the oxidation of epithelial cells.
Because of the significant inflammatory response, it has been discovered that human limbs and joint prostheses including MPs emit acute poisons and free radicals. It was demonstrated that such oxidants produced hydrolysis, which resulted in the breaking and leakage of polymers. The prosthesis may be rejected by the human organs as a result of this free radical manufacturing process.
MPs were found to be cytotoxic as an effect of oxidative damage and inflammation. MPs can be absorbed by certain cells, such as macrophages, as revealed in animal research and in vitro tests. MPs interacted easily with intracellular organelles since they were not membrane bound, posing a risk of damage.
MPs at concentrations between 0.05 mg/L and 10 mg/L significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species, which in vitro studies revealed to be lethal to human brain and epithelial cells. Moreover, exposure of lung epithelial cells and macrophages to nanoplastics in vitro increased the production of reactive oxygen radicals, which in turn led to cytolysis and the agglomeration of unfolded protein particles in the endoplasmic reticulum.
The majority of everyday objects are made of plastic, which is a valuable and practical material. Nevertheless, in the modern world, misuse, mishandling and mismanagement of plastics have led to MPs pollution in every corner of the aquatic environment, from the seafloor sedimentary rocks to the topmost pelagic layer. MPs are easily accessible to fish species due to their abundance in aquatic habitats. An increasing amount of research indicates that MPs are poisonous to many different kinds of fish. After being consumed, MPs might gather in the fish's digestive tract before spreading to other bodily tissues. Fish health issues caused by MPs can take many different forms.