Micro plastics in nature a full circle

Micro plastics are something special. Barely visible but this tiny type of plastic is everywhere. Micro plastics are in the air, in fish, in whales, in drinking water, in food, and even in your body. Micro plastics in nature are a full circle.

What are micro plastics?

Microplastic are solid plastics no larger than 1 mm used in toothpaste, shampoo, skin cremes and other personal healthcare products. Every time you wash your face, or flush your mouth, micro plastics are added into this world.

Micro plastic are generated every time polyester and acrylic clothing is washed. The plastic structure breaks down a tiny bit during each washing cycle. Approximately 80.000 micro plastics flow through the sewage system into the sea.

Synthetic rubber is made from plastic and used for almost all car tires. The tire wears out over time and micro plastics are created. Learn more about micro plastic in our plastic awareness presentation game, or plastic mission impossible game.

What is the problem?

The challenge with micro plastic is that they are so small.  Every time you wash clothes, brush your teeth, wipe of your face micro plastic are flushed into the water system. The public water filters do not detect the micro plastics and they find their way via rivers into the sea. 

That is where micro plastic absorbs and attracts chemicals, before the plankton eats it. The plankton get eaten by the small fish, the bigger fish eat the smaller fish and we eat the bigger fish. Micro plastics in nature are a full circle, from human to human.

How to stay healthy?

Barcelonasail recommends buying cotton, wool, denim, and silk cloths, using personal healthcare without micro plastic and use the bike instead of the car. As for bottled versus tap water, both contain similar concentrations of micro plastics.

Avoiding using single plastics is by far the best thing to do. Purchasing plastics that are “bio degradable“, “compostable” and “marine biodegradable” are misleading. All plastic are harmful for the environment.