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An insidious pollutant

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A new study by Filipino scientists has found that Metro Manila residents are now at risk of inhaling microplastics, or tiny plastic fragments in the environment, which they call an insidious new major pollutant.

Published in the Environmental Science and Pollution Research Journal and funded by the Department of Science and Technology, the study tested air samples from 17 local governments in the National Capital Region from December 16 to 31, 2021, which was at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientists Rodolfo Romarate and Hernando Bacosa of the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology led the team that gathered samples 1.5 meters from the ground to simulate the average human height, and then filtered the air samples and sorted the debris found.

Among other findings, the scientists confirmed the presence of microplastics in all 17 local governments, with the highest concentrations in Mandaluyong and Muntinlupa cities, and the lowest in Malabon, followed by Quezon City, Pasig, Paranaque and Las Piñas.

Explaining the phenomenon in simple terms, Romarate said that if a human were to inhale three balikbayan boxes of air in a day, they are likely to breathe in at least one microplastic particle, which means they could inhale up to 88 such particles in a year.

According to the United States National Ocean Service, microplastics are plastic debris about the size of a sesame seed, coming from a variety of sources, including larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller pieces. “These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean or Great Lakes, posing potential threat to aquatic life,” the agency said.

Studies have suggested potential dangers posed by microplastics on human health include causing stress to internal organs and entering the bloodstream.

Most of the microplastics collected by researchers in Metro Manila were fibrous microplastics or lint degraded into even smaller sizes, which had likely lofted into the air.

This is the price Filipinos are paying for being among the planet’s biggest plastic polluters, and having a government and private sector that doesn’t seem to be interested in doing anything about it. Now that microplastics have been proven to be entering our bodies, will we finally take the action necessary to reduce plastic pollution in this country?*

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