You’re Filled With Microplastics. So What?

Summary

The video script delves into the pervasive issue of microplastics, highlighting their omnipresence in the environment and potential health risks. It discusses the scientific challenges in linking microplastics to negative health effects due to a lack of standardized research methods. The script calls for more awareness, standardized scientific approaches, and epidemiological studies to establish a clear connection between microplastics and health impacts, emphasizing the need for action to mitigate this growing environmental and health threat.

Takeaways

• 🧬 Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic that have been identified as a significant environmental concern due to their persistence and ubiquity.
• 🌏 Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges of the 21st century, with microplastics found in various ecosystems, including the highest peak and the deepest trench on Earth.
• 🔍 Microplastics have been discovered in numerous everyday items and are estimated to be ingested or inhaled by humans in substantial quantities annually.
• 🛒 The majority of microplastic ingestion comes from cosmetic products, highlighting the need for awareness and potential regulation of these items.
• 🧬 There is scientific consensus that microplastics have the potential to be harmful due to their ability to translocate within the body and carry pollutants and toxins.
• 🔬 Despite the potential risks, there is a lack of epidemiological studies directly linking microplastics to negative health effects in humans.
• 📊 The scientific community calls for more standardized research methods and epidemiological studies to definitively answer the question of microplastics' impact on human health.
• 🌱 Microplastics also pose a threat through bioaccumulation in the food chain, leading to higher concentrations in animals higher up, affecting humans who consume them.
• 🚫 The current state of research on microplastics is in a 'scientific publishing Purgatory,' indicating the complexity and the need for further investigation.
• 🌐 There is a call for increased awareness, standardization, and potentially new campaigns similar to 'reduce, reuse, recycle' to address the microplastic issue.
• 💪 The video also promotes a fitness service, Train, emphasizing the importance of health and personal well-being, indirectly suggesting that understanding and addressing microplastic exposure could contribute to better health.

Q & A

微塑料是如何进入我们身体的？

微塑料可以通过多种途径进入我们的身体，包括通过食物链摄入、吸入空气中的微塑料颗粒，以及通过皮肤吸收。例如，我们可能会通过饮用存储或加热在塑料容器中的液体或食物摄入微塑料，或者使用含有微塑料的牙膏。此外，微塑料还可能通过空气中的微粒、水和食物进入人体。

微塑料对人体健康有哪些潜在影响？

微塑料对人体健康的影响仍在研究之中，但已有研究表明它们可能对多个器官系统产生不利影响，包括肠道、肺部、肝脏以及生殖和神经系统。在人类中，微塑料被发现存在于血液、肺部、胎盘和母乳等多种组织和器官中。一些研究提出了微塑料与心血管疾病之间的潜在联系，以及它们在人类粪便中的浓度与炎症性肠病的严重程度相关。尽管这些研究并未证明微塑料与疾病之间的直接因果关系，但它们强调了加速研究这一主题的必要性。

微塑料在环境中的分布情况如何？

微塑料几乎遍布全球各个角落，包括海洋、土壤、空气和食物供应。它们存在于各种环境矩阵中，如海水、河口、河流、湖泊、土壤和大气。微塑料的分布受到物理过程的影响，如风、潮汐、径流和洪水，这些过程会随着气候力量的变化而变化。

微塑料污染的主要来源是什么？

微塑料污染的主要来源包括初级和次级来源。初级微塑料直接来自个人清洁产品、化妆品、药物载体和环境中的塑料碎片。次级微塑料则是由更大的塑料垃圾在物理、化学和生物作用下分解形成的。这些过程包括紫外线辐射、温度变化、微生物降解等。

目前科学界对微塑料的研究有哪些共识和分歧？

科学界普遍认为微塑料是环境中的新兴污染物，并对生态系统和人类健康构成潜在威胁。然而，关于微塑料的具体健康影响、它们在环境中的行为和命运，以及如何有效管理微塑料污染，科学界仍存在分歧。一些研究强调了微塑料可能通过食物链进入人体，并在人体组织中积累，而其他研究则指出当前关于微塑料影响的研究尚不足以建立明确的健康风险评估。

微塑料污染的全球治理措施有哪些？

全球范围内，包括欧盟在内的多个国家和地区已经开始采取措施限制微塑料的使用和排放。例如，欧盟已经禁止了在化妆品中使用微塑料，并设定了减少微塑料污染的目标。此外，联合国环境大会在175个国家的支持下，通过了一项决议，旨在制定全球塑料条约，以减少塑料污染。

微塑料在人体中的积累和分布情况如何？

微塑料在人体中的积累和分布尚不完全清楚，但已有研究表明它们可以在血液中被检测到，并且可能通过血液循环传输到全身。微塑料的化学成分、大小和形状等特性可能会影响它们在不同组织中的行为和影响。此外，微塑料还可能通过食物链在生物体内积累，从而对人类健康构成风险。

微塑料对海洋生物的影响有哪些？

海洋生物，包括鱼类、鸟类、海洋哺乳动物和无脊椎动物，可能会误食微塑料，导致物理阻塞、进食效率降低和营养不良。此外，微塑料还可能进入食物链，从小的初级生产者如浮游植物和海藻开始，然后通过食物链传递给更高级的消费者，包括人类。

微塑料污染的研究有哪些未来的研究方向？

未来的研究方向包括微塑料在人体中的积累量、它们在不同组织中的分布、以及微塑料特性如何影响这些组织。此外，还需要进行机制研究，以探究微塑料可能导致损害的途径，包括通过免疫系统或微生物群的系统性效应，或直接的细胞毒性效应。

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Microplastic Menace

The script begins by addressing the ubiquity and potential dangers of microplastics. Despite their pervasive presence in our environment, from the highest peak to the deepest ocean trench, there is a scientific debate about their impact on human health. The script highlights the vast amount of plastic produced and its resistance to degradation, leading to the creation of microplastics. It points out that while microplastics are found in various consumer products and are ingested or inhaled, the scientific consensus on their health effects is still developing. The comparison to cigarettes and public nuisances like FaceTiming without headphones is used to emphasize the societal awareness and the need for further research.

05:02

🔬 The Science of Microplastics

This section delves into the scientific aspects of microplastics, discussing their potential to cause harm due to their ability to translocate within the body and carry pollutants. The script outlines the mechanisms by which microplastics could affect various body systems, from inflammation to child development. It acknowledges the current lack of conclusive evidence linking microplastics to negative health effects in humans, due to the reliance on animal models and cellular studies rather than epidemiological studies. The need for standardized methods in scientific research and more comprehensive studies on real populations is emphasized to establish a clearer link between microplastics and health effects.

10:05

🌱 Addressing the Microplastic Issue

The final paragraph focuses on the need for action to mitigate the impact of microplastics. It suggests the establishment of global standards and controls, followed by extensive epidemiological studies to determine the health effects of microplastics. The script also touches on the concept of bioaccumulation, where microplastics accumulate in organisms higher up the food chain, potentially leading to higher concentrations in humans who consume these animals. The narrative concludes with a call for increased awareness and proactive measures to reduce plastic pollution, reflecting on the broader implications of microplastics in the environment and food chain.

Keywords

💡Microplastics

Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic less than 5mm in size, often resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic materials. They are a central theme in the video, illustrating the pervasive presence of these particles in the environment and their potential health impacts. The script mentions that microplastics have been found in various ecosystems, from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, and even inside humans, emphasizing their ubiquity and the need for further research on their effects.

💡Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastic objects and particles in the environment, which poses a significant ecological challenge. The video discusses plastic pollution as the precursor to the formation of microplastics, highlighting that billions of tons of plastic have entered the environment and do not break down in a reasonable time scale, instead fragmenting into smaller pieces.

💡Environmental Challenges

Environmental challenges are issues that threaten the well-being of ecosystems and the planet. The script describes plastic pollution as one of the biggest environmental challenges of the 21st century, indicating the scale of the problem and its impact on natural systems.

💡Translocation

Translocation, in the context of the video, refers to the movement of microplastics within the body after they are ingested or inhaled. The script suggests that microplastics have a unique ability to travel from their initial entry point to other tissues or the bloodstream, which is a potential mechanism for their harmful effects.

💡Pollutants

Pollutants are substances that contaminate the environment, causing adverse effects on living organisms. The video explains that microplastics have a high surface area and irregular shapes, making them perfect carriers for pollutants and toxins, which can accumulate in the nooks and crannies of the plastic particles.

💡Health Effects

Health effects are the impacts on living beings resulting from exposure to certain substances or conditions. The script discusses potential health effects of microplastics, such as inflammation and impacts on child development, although it notes the lack of conclusive evidence linking these effects to microplastics in humans.

💡Epidemiological Studies

Epidemiological studies are research that investigates patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. The video calls for more epidemiological studies to establish a clear link between microplastics and health effects, suggesting that such studies would involve comparing populations with different levels of microplastic exposure.

💡Bioaccumulation

Bioaccumulation is the process by which substances, such as chemicals or microplastics, accumulate in an organism's tissues. The script points out that microplastics bioaccumulate in the food chain, leading to higher concentrations in organisms higher up the food chain, which can ultimately affect humans who consume these animals.

💡Regulations

Regulations are rules or directives made and maintained by an authority. The video suggests that once a clear link between microplastics and health effects is established, regulations could be implemented to reduce pollution, such as working with producers to minimize the release of harmful microplastics.

💡Science in Theory vs. Practice

The script contrasts the idealized view of how scientific research should be conducted with the reality of how it often is, highlighting the challenges in standardizing methods and obtaining conclusive evidence. This concept is used to explain the current state of research on microplastics and the difficulties in linking them to health effects.

💡Awareness Campaign

An awareness campaign is a series of efforts aimed at informing the public about a particular issue. The video suggests the need for a campaign to increase awareness about microplastics, possibly modeled after traditional 'reduce, reuse, recycle' initiatives, to encourage behaviors that mitigate plastic pollution.

Highlights

Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic less than 5mm in size, found in various environments and even within our bodies.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges of the 21st century, with billions of tons entering the environment.

Microplastics were first identified in the 1970s and have since been found in diverse locations, from Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench.

The average human ingests between 74,000 and 121,000 microplastic particles a year, primarily from cosmetic products.

Microplastics have the potential to translocate within the body, moving from the point of entry to other tissues and the bloodstream.

High surface area and irregular shapes of microplastics make them perfect carriers for pollutants, pathogens, and toxins.

There is a lack of standardized methods for studying microplastics, leading to difficulty in comparing scientific findings.

Potential health effects of microplastics include inflammation, oxidative stress, and impacts on child development.

More epidemiological studies with living humans are needed to establish a clear link between microplastics and health effects.

Microplastics can bioaccumulate in the food chain, leading to higher concentrations in animals higher up, like tuna.

The video discusses the need for more standardized scientific methods and increased awareness about microplastics.

Sponsorship from Train, a personal fitness service, is acknowledged, highlighting the importance of health and wellness.

The video calls for a 'reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, rethink' campaign to address the new age of plastic pollution.

The potential toxicity of microplastics is compared to known carcinogens, such as cigarette smoke, emphasizing the need for further research.

The video concludes with a call to action for more research and awareness to mitigate the impact of microplastics on health and the environment.

The importance of scientific rigor in establishing a link between microplastics and health effects is emphasized throughout the video.

The video also touches on the challenges of scientific publishing and the gap between ideal and actual scientific practices.

Transcripts

I want to ask you a weird question are

microplastics actually bad for us I know

that sounds crazy that sounds like

asking whether or not cigarettes are bad

for us or whether or not FaceTiming in

public without headphones is bad for

everybody yes of course those things are

bad and equally so but for microplastics

they're in kind of a weird spot a sort

of scientific publishing Purgatory that

makes answering this question more

complicated than you think so after

today's disc discussion I want to make

two things very clear first the scope

and scale of the microplastic Menace and

two the very real difference between how

we want science to be done and how it

actually is done like the difference

between how you want to look and how you

actually yes Arya thank you for pointing

that out you could have used a more

charitable

comparison okay science

time now entering the facility

first the problem with plastic plastic

is arguably one of the most amazing and

useful materials ever created on Earth

but as such we've made a whole heck of a

lot of it like over 9 trillion kilog of

the stuff that's more than all humans

way and unlike more natural materials

like wood or something else organic

plastic doesn't really break down over

time it just gets smaller and enters the

environment sadly it won't surprise you

that the vast majority of all this

plastic is never recycled so where is it

all going well gestures

broadly plastic pollution has been

described as one of the biggest

environmental challenges of the 21st

century billions of tons of plastic have

entered the environment and though they

don't break down on any reasonable time

scale like organic material does plastic

does crack split and Splinter into

smaller and smaller pieces until it gets

small enough to be officially called

micro or even Nano Plastics researchers

often shorten this to

MPS microplastics were first identified

in the 1970s after Expeditions found the

indestructible particles floating at top

the Atlantic Ocean since then

microplastic concern has led to an

explosion of scientific interest or

rather research couldn't help but

explode after we realize that

microplastics are are in everything now

they are in so many things they're like

the Pedro Pascal of pollution

microplastics have been found on Mount

Everest they have been found at the

bottom of the Mariana's Trench they are

floating in the air buried in the soil

inside the fish that we eat inside the

water that we drink in the new Fantastic

4 movie weight that's Pedro Pascal again

with this disturbing distribution it was

inevitable then that we'd start finding

plastic inside us at least a dozen

plastic containing tissues have been

identified so far and we're finding them

in more and more sensitive areas uh

every day through inhalation and

ingestion it's estimated that the

average human person incorporates

between 74 and

121,000 microplastic particles a year

the majority of those particles actually

come from cosmetic products like

toothpaste and exfoliating scrubbers

this is why you don't need your fancy

face wash Arya uh I don't even have face

well then who keeps buying all the Kevin

Kevin are you using my credit card again

I told you it was only for

v-bucks I don't care how smooth your

skin is now your Skin's not even real

human I you you don't need it dang

synthetic children and their Lust For

v-bucks it's reasonable to assume that

maybe hundreds of thousands of tiny

plastic bits entering your blood brain

and other stuff each year is not good

but then why do the very same studies

that point this out also make a note of

saying we do not have enough evidence to

clearly link negative health effects and

microplastics well that's because doing

their due diligence like all scientists

should there's a difference between

science in theory and Science in

practice just like how a cool electric

car in theory can be better than exactly

Arya the Cyber truck problem as you see

pictured one of them right there good

comparison

today's video is sponsored by trawell

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educator and increasingly wide Kyle Hill

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well elongate yourself along the

x-axis you can touch plastic you can

store food in it you can use it any

number of ways medically so it isn't

crazy to ask are microplastics actually

bad for human health and if so why well

the answer to the latter is that tiny

pieces of plastic do seem to have the

unique potential to be

dangerous the mechanisms aren't yet

fully understood but it appears that

microplastics have a unique ability to

translocate inside the body that is they

don't necessarily stay in the part of

the body that inhaled or ingested them

for example plastic pieces evading the

mucus membrane brain in your gut and

then making it into the surrounding

tissue or your

bloodstream this appears to be a

consequence of microplastic small size a

regular shape electric charge high

surface area and resistance to

degradation studies also point out that

the high surface area and irregular

shapes are the perfect vehicles for

pollutants pathogens and other toxins

which get into those little nooks and

crannies which make microplastics even

which make micro microplastics even more

of a

problem Oh that that's that's got to be

more than average so we think that

microplastics could be harmful but are

they it's a valid question scientists

have identified potential health effects

in at least nine systems in the body

ranging from inflation all the way to

affecting Child

Development how can little plastic

pieces affect so much of

us once micro Plastics translocate via a

mechanism like the body trying to engulf

and dispose of the macroscopic particles

or just by simple membrane damage the

foreign bodies can trigger your immune

system cause cells that encounter them

to straight up die and otherwise create

enough non-degradable microscopic chaos

that potential health effects related to

oxidative stress and cell viability and

general toxicity all start to stack up I

say potential health effects because

again these same studies also say that

we do not actually have enough evidence

to clearly link these potential effects

to real humans living in the real world

and that's because they are based on a

number of animal models and experiments

with cells and organoids not

epidemiological studies with living

humans if we want a clear link between

microplastics and health effects in

people more science is what we need and

science is hard

oh oh that was a big in too oh no though

scientists seem unified behind the idea

that the link between negative health

effects and microplastics is

sufficiently persuasive we don't yet

have unified methods for definitively

answering this hypothesis we don't have

standardized size of particles or shape

or chemical composition we don't have

standardized animal models we don't have

standardized measurement and sampling

methods in short there are a lot of

studies now out there saying a lot of

similar things but they can't all be

compared exactly so to take everything

out of the theoretical we need more

standardized ways of doing this science

and more epidemiological studies in real

people so what would a real link between

microplastics and health effects

actually look like hey that's that Kevin

that took my credit card you get back

here since young

man I can take it from here to really

link microplastics to negative health

effects what we would need first are

standards and controls instituted the

world over and then we would need many

pro and retrospective epidemiological

studies these studies would need to find

populations of people with some known

concentration of microplastics in

certain parts of their body and then

compare them to a population with a

different or no concentration if there

was a statistically significant ific

difference in the health of these

populations controlling for everything

else then it would be good evidence of

microplastics toxicity especially if it

was backed up by mechanistic

explanations it would be the same as

comparing smokers to non-smokers over a

number of years and finding

statistically significant differences in

their rates of lung cancer supported by

the known carenity of cigarette smoke

once we have that for microplastics then

we can work on regulations that can make

a difference for example if we found

that micr Plastics of a certain size and

composition were the most harmful we

could work with the largest producer of

those specific Plastics to reduce

pollution okay I'm back to really

establish a hard link between

microplastics and negative health

effects um I already said all that oh

you went through all like the population

stuff I already said all

that okay well in addition to that

epidemiology we also need just more

microplastic awareness and we need uh

maybe like a reduce reuse recycle

campaign for the new age of plastic like

reduce reuse recycle repair rethink

REI uh

repair uh other RW that the studies

suggest did you really go through all

that without me that was kind of like a

whole okay well until next time

now exiting the

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sponsoring today's episode remember the

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drape on a silky blonde wig if you want

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hundreds of you that have already done

this as well another thing that uh you

have to think about with microplastics

is that they don't just go into the

environment and wait for you to ingest

or inhale them they also bio accumulate

so as they go into the food chain the

smaller thing get eaten by the higher up

things on the food chain which get

higher up and higher up and higher up

and because these things are not

excreted the microplastics stay in

tissues they tend to bioaccumulate so by

the time we start to eat some of these

animals that are higher up in the food

chain like tuna for example then they

have a higher concentration of these

microplastics that make it into our body

the same reason why tuna is high in

mercury content so it's not just moving

through our bodies and our sensitive

bits it's also moving its way all the

way through the food chain

so how do we get it out of

there I don't

know making a lot of kind of Doom and

Gloom videos lately huh how you feeling

let's do something about it