Up to five grams of microplastics in the body per week

This was the finding of a study commissioned by WWF, based on research conducted by the University of Newcastle in Australia, as the environmental organisation announced on Wednesday in Hamburg. According to the study, people ingest up to 2,000 plastic particles per week — equivalent to approximately 21 grams per month and just over 250 grams of plastic per year. «Plastic waste not only pollutes rivers and oceans and harms marine life, but has now also been detected in soil and in the air», warned Heike Vesper, Head of Marine Conservation at WWF Germany.    

We are all by now familiar with the images of sea turtles entangled in fishing nets. We know the images of dead seabirds with stomachs full of plastic fragments. And we know the stories of great whales whose bellies are filled with plastic when they wash up lifeless on the shore. But wildlife on land is also under threat. Plastic waste is dumped in vast quantities in forests, and especially in summer, meadows and parks are lined with rubbish left behind by people after barbecues and picnics.

Birds become entangled in plastic waste with their slender legs and cannot free themselves unaided. Other wild animals eat the rubbish that still has food residue clinging to it. And larger birds use plastic sheeting to build their nests, making them waterproof and causing chicks to drown in their nests during heavy rain.

«We cannot prevent ourselves from ingesting plastic», Vesper added. «Microplastics contaminate the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.» The effects of plastic ingestion on human health are still being researched. However, it is clear that plastic pollution is a global problem that also directly affects people.    

«Because large pieces of plastic break down into microplastics, which have now been detected in foods such as honey, mussels, and fish", Vesper emphasized. Additional sources include microplastic abrasion in plastic bottles and synthetic fibers in the air we breathe. "If we don't want plastic in our bodies, we must prevent millions of tonnes of plastic waste from entering the environment every year."    

This would require a global agreement against plastic pollution with binding targets, the WWF stated. Companies must also better fulfill their extended responsibility for their products and the waste they generate. The primary goal must be to avoid unnecessary plastic.    

According to the WWF, more plastic has been produced since the year 2000 than in all previous years combined. Around one third of all plastic produced ends up uncontrolled in the environment.