Microplastic is a substance that people have become increasingly aware of in recent years, as its traces are found more and more frequently in the environment. Microplastics can be found in numerous everyday products, for example in cosmetics such as shower gel, scrub or toothpaste. However, the tiny plastic particles can also find their way into our food. How does this affect our health? And how can you recognize products without microplastics? Find out here what is known about these questions so far.
What is microplastic?
Microplastics, as the name suggests, are microscopic plastics. According to a common definition, the tiny plastic particles are less than five millimeters in diameter, although they are actually often much smaller. Microplastics are made of solid, insoluble and non-biodegradable plastic such as polyethylene – these are known as synthetic polymers.
How are microplastics formed?
Based on how it is formed, there are two different types of microplastics: primary and secondary. The primary form is industrially produced plastic pellets and powders. In cosmetics such as shower gel or scrubs, for example, the small beads are added to achieve a massaging or “sanding” effect. But they also form the starting material for the manufacture of plastic products. This is also called primary type A microplastic. In addition, this type of microplastic also includes fibers that enter the wash water when washing a garment made of polyester, for example, as well as the abrasion from car tires, road markings, shoe soles or artificial turf. This is also known as primary type B microplastics – but depending on the definition, it is sometimes counted as secondary microplastics. Secondary microplastics are formed when larger pieces of plastic or plastic waste decompose, for example when plastic bags or fishing nets are slowly decomposed by the sun and weather.
Dangers for the environment
Environmentalists sharply criticize the industrial use of microplastics. This is because the small pieces of plastic in our everyday products are flushed into sewage treatment plants via wastewater, where they cannot be completely filtered out. Over time, they end up in the sea via rivers. Once there, they cannot be removed, and they remain a burden on the environment for centuries. Due to its structural nature, microplastics floating in the ocean attract environmental toxins and bacteria and collect them on its surface. The plastic particles are then eaten by marine life such as fish or mussels. In this way, the pollutant-enriched microplastics not only affect marine organisms, but also ultimately end up back on our plates. Microplastics also end up in our environment via the fertilization of agricultural land with sewage sludge or the use of compost from biogas plants – but then in the soil.
How do microplastics get into our bodies?
The ways in which microplastics can enter our bodies are not yet clearly understood. What is indisputable is that it can be detected almost everywhere in the environment. Not only in soils, waters and marine animals, but also in the air the plastic particles can be found. So theoretically, they can enter our food chain not only through the consumption of marine animals, but also through cultivated products such as vegetables. It is also suspected that we inhale or consume microplastics with the air when the particles settle on food. Researchers have also been able to detect microplastics in human stool samples. However, due to the small number of participants in the pilot study, it was not possible to clarify whether the particles came, for example, from consumed marine life, from food packaged in plastic, or from other sources. The finding also says nothing about the health effect – only that the body is able to excrete the particles again. Cosmetics, on the other hand, probably do not directly contribute to our ingestion of microplastics. According to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), microplastic particles in cosmetics are too large to penetrate the skin, so this does not pose an immediate health risk.
Health consequences for animals and humans
Little is known so far about the consequences of microplastics in the human body.Initial findings are available, particularly with regard to animals. In mussels, for example, it was observed that the microplastics entered the cells and triggered inflammatory reactions there. Scientists fear that the microscopically small particles could also penetrate the body’s cells in humans and cause inflammation there. For example, lung tissue could possibly be damaged by inhaled microplastics, or the particles could accumulate in the lymph nodes of the intestine. Furthermore, laboratory tests provide evidence that microplastics can impair growth and reproduction in animals. The Federal Environment Agency also fears injuries to the gastrointestinal tract, and the particles could also be deposited in the gastrointestinal tract, hindering digestion and blocking the absorption of food.
Absorption of pollutants
Pollutants (for example, pesticides) and pathogens adhering to microplastics pose another potential risk. These can be released into the gastrointestinal tract of marine life, where they can have a potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic effect. The decomposition of plastic can also release additives such as plasticizers, flame retardants or UV filters into the animals’ bodies, which can be toxic or have hormonal effects. By eating fish and seafood contaminated in this way, these substances can also enter our bodies. It has not yet been researched whether this can result in a dose that is hazardous to health. However, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) points out that foodstuffs with an increased pollutant content must not be in circulation anyway due to the binding limits. In addition, according to the BMU, the plastic particles are excreted by the body again, so there is no health risk to humans.
Do microplastics promote antibiotic resistance?
One study examined the colonization of bacteria on microplastics in sewage treatment plants. It was found that the bacterial genus Sphingopyxis particularly likes to colonize on the microparticles. This is a genus that often develops antibiotic resistance. However, whether microplastics can contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in this way has not yet been determined.
Where is microplastic in it?
Microplastics are used in a variety of cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. According to a 2015 estimate by the German Federal Environment Agency, about 500 tons of microplastics are used in cosmetic products in Germany each year. Typical products that often contain microplastics are:
- Peeling
- Shower gel and cream soap
- Shampoo, conditioner and hairspray
- Cream and body lotion as well as hand and foot care
- Nail polish
- Make-up and makeup
- Deodorant
- Shaving foam
- Toothpaste
- Sunscreen
- Diapers
- Detergent and hand wash
Microplastics are also sometimes used in industry or medicine.
Microplastics in drinking water and mineral water.
It can be assumed that our drinking water does not contain microplastics, because the content can be almost completely reduced by water treatment. This was shown by studies of German drinking water. If microplastics are present in drinking water at all, the amount is so small that the Federal Environment Agency does not see any impairment of quality. Anyone who wants to drink tap water therefore does not need to use a water filter to ensure that it does not contain microplastics. The situation is different with mineral water. In one study, microplastic particles were found in each of the mineral waters tested. The researchers suspect that these come from the plastic in the bottles or lids. However, there is no reason to fear an accumulation of harmful substances here. Plastic water boilers are also suspected of releasing microplastics into the water.
Microplastics in food?
So far, no microplastics have been detected in food – studies that came to different assessments are usually considered refuted due to methodological flaws. Sea salt as well as marine animals such as fish, mussels or crabs are an exception here, in which microplastics have already been detected several times.However, BfR emphasizes that, at least in fish, the plastic particles have so far only been found in the gastrointestinal tract, which is usually not consumed anyway.
Avoid microplastics – what can you do yourself?
Most of the microplastic in the oceans is secondary microplastic or comes from the abrasion of car tires and from washing synthetic textiles. The latter accounts for an estimated 35 percent of primary microplastics in the oceans – microplastics from cosmetic products, by contrast, only account for about two percent. As a consumer, you can still help reduce microplastics:
- Try not to buy cosmetic products that contain microplastics. We present tips for identifying such products and alternatives below.
- Who already owns cosmetics with microplastics, it is best to dispose of them closed in household waste, recommends BUND e. V.
- When washing synthetic textiles such as fleece, plastic fibers get into the waste water. By buying clothes made of natural materials, you can help to avoid microplastics. Also, special wash bags or laundry bags are available, which should filter the fibers from the wash water – their effectiveness, however, experts estimate as rather low.
- The largest source of microplastics is plastic waste. Anyone who helps to do without plastic as much as possible and avoid plastic waste, at the same time helps to protect the environment from microplastics.
What ingredients label microplastics?
For consumers, it is often not possible to identify contained microplastics in products based on the ingredients, because there is no labeling requirement for contained plastics. However, initial indications can be provided by designations and abbreviations such as:
- Acrylates copolymer (AC)
- Nylon-12
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyacrylate (PA)
However, consumers can not tell whether these ingredients are actually microplastics or, for example, a liquid form of the substance in question. For cosmetics and personal care products, it may therefore be advisable to reach for natural cosmetics. Seals such as the “Blue Angel”, the EU Ecolabel or labels for certified natural cosmetics can also help to identify products that contain no or only little microplastics.
List of products without microplastics
It can make shopping easier if you specifically find out in advance which products contain microplastics and which do not. Various places offer lists of products with or without microplastics – usually these guides are available online or as an app and are constantly updated. One such list of products containing microplastics and other plastics can be found at BUND e.V. A popular alternative is the app CodeCheck, which (based on data from Greenpeace and the WWF, among others) uses the barcode to provide information on the ingredients. In addition to microplastics, cosmetics can also contain other synthetic plastics, some of which are liquid or water-soluble and serve as fillers or binders, for example. Since it is completely unclear how these degrade in the environment and what effects they have on nature, they are also subject to criticism. Often, therefore, the available lists do not distinguish between microplastics and other plastics.
What are the alternatives to microplastics?
The Federal Environment Agency considers microplastics in cosmetics and detergents to be dispensable. In fact, there are numerous alternatives in this field of application. In the following we present you some examples:
- Peelings without microplastics contain, for example, silicic acid, sugar surfactants or healing earth. Alternatively, you can make a scrub yourself or use tools such as a brush or a peeling glove.
- Meanwhile, toothpaste without microplastics is almost the rule – only a few manufacturers still use microplastics as a so-called “abrasive” in their toothpaste.
- Shower gel is often also available without microplastics. Alternatively, it can be replaced, for example, by a bar of soap – so you do without the plastic bottle at the same time.
- The same applies to shampoo: Here, in addition to shampoos without microplastics, special hair soaps are also available on the piece.
Conclusion: is microplastic harmful to health?
Whether microplastics are harmful to health is currently impossible to answer unequivocally.Although more and more research is being done in the field, there is still a lack of uniform definitions and measurement methods, so there are hardly any comparable studies. In parallel, work is underway at the legislative level to reduce the use of microplastics. In 2018, the EU published a strategy to reduce plastic litter in the oceans. The use of microplastics is also to be curbed in the long term. The German Federal Environment Agency, which sees microplastics as a risk to the environment and bodies of water, is campaigning in talks with the cosmetics industry for a voluntary ban on microplastics and is also calling for an EU-wide ban on the plastic particles. Some manufacturers of cosmetics and other products that previously contained microplastics have already announced that they will do without the ingredient in the future or have already implemented this. Research is also underway into ways of avoiding microplastics in other areas, such as textile manufacturing.
